Frontin'

How You Doin?

Junior Boys
North Star Bar
9/8

Went with A.Man to see the JBs play the Troc balcony with Caribou last August. There were two dudes standing behind some keyboards and equipment, one of them was singing. They were 100% efficient at reproducing the lush, minimal textures that constituted Last Exit. They sounded great, but there was no good reason to watch their performance. Simply put last year's "show" was dilettantish and tedious.

That in mind, I wasn't in a rush to hear So This Is Goodbye, even after single "In the Morning" garnered high praise. But one night, while reading a D.F. Wallace short story, I decided to put Junior Boys on as background music. As soon as that bass thwacked on opener "Double Shadow" I knew I fucked up. Now, I think I have listened to Goodbye front to back more than any record this year, even Booka Shade's Movements. In comparison to Exit, Goodbye pops more, funks more. Its songs are just a little more, well, songy (they have melodies), and though they stand well on their own, they also form a perfect whole. I was hopeful that Goodbye's more engaging nature would translate into the live show. It did.

First thing, the JBs are now three, having added a live drummer. This is generally a good move. But when you find a guy who looks straight out of Snatch, who also just happens to look like he is performing cunnilingus while playing the drums, it's not just a good move. Anyway, the big difference here is the performance of vocalist Jeremy Greenspan. Jeremy has become a great front man. He moved from behind the security of the keys, front and center on the most bad ass instrument of them all, the bass, and he was killing it all night. Also, you could tell dude was doing more than just perfunctory singing, he was in the lyrics. And between EVERY song they played, Greenspan interacted well with the audience, revealing wit, charm, warmth, graciousness and friendliness. Made me take my hoodie off.

Rumor has it that Greenspan recorded Goodbye without band co-founder Johnny Dark. However, I guess the two reunited for the tour (I honestly have no idea what Dark looks like), and seemed to me to be getting along OK. More apparent though was a disconnect between Dark and the material, made all the greater by Greenspan's intimacy with it. An entertaining subplot, but kept just a subplot, as Greenspan was that much above it.

This was exactly the kind of show that Philly needs more of. City, we don't need to go nuts to have a good time. (Even though some assholes tried to ruin it at the end of the show. Overall, most improved front man of the year. Best show I've been to this year?