Junior Boys

Lauded rock bands such as the Arcade Fire and Stars are finally making up for Canada's decade-plus streak of embarrassing Bryan Adams sapfests. But the country's electronic scene tends to get overlooked -- which is puzzling, because Canada's wintry climate forms the perfect backdrop for the minimalist techno and frozen-hearted laptop pop of Junior Boys. The Hamilton, Ontario, duo's brittle alchemy of these genres -- with some glitchy dance music and faint touches of Italo disco thrown in for good measure -- aches for layers of warm clothing, as witnessed by its debut full-length, Last Exit. The album feels much like a frozen tundra in the dead of January; electronic sound effects dissolve like thrown confetti as beats stutter with the sharpness of shattering icicles and airy vocals float like wisps of chilled breath.