Junior Senior were a Danish duo consisting of Jesper Mortensen (Junior) and Jeppe Laursen (Senior). Ostensibly they were an indie/dance pop band. However their sound is an happy amalgamation of garage rock, breakbeat, B-52's kitsch pop, electronic music, mid 60's Rolling Stones, rockabilly and surf guitar lines, ecstasy-influenced dance pop and sprinkles of hip hop. But more than all that, their music is unabashedly lively, uninhibitedly gleeful and unpretentiously fun. The album was rightfully perceived as a breath of fresh air when it was released as it sounded – purely based on attitude alone - nothing like anything else at the time.
The band's debut album D-D-Don't Don't Stop The Beat was universally acclaimed upon it's 2002 (or depending on the market, 2003) release. I first became aware of the band when I heard their classic “Move Your Feet” single on the radio on July 4th 2003. I thought it was some new wave dance classic that had somehow escaped me and I was only just hearing it for the first time. Not surprisingly it was a universal hit that Summer (a top 40 hit in a dozen countries, peaking at #3 on the UK singles chart and #45 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart). “Rhythm Bandits”, which is possibly my favorite track on the album, was also a top 20 hit in the UK. The third single, “Shake Your Coconuts” appeared in the films Loony Tunes: Back In Action, She's The Man and Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen.
The humorously references several American pop musicians on “White Trash” nearly as much as they reference themselves on “Go Junior, Go Senior” and “C' Mon”. And they make it abundantly clear on tracks like “Chicks And Dicks” that Junior, is straight and “nasty and small”. While Senior is gay and “handsome and tall”. Junior sounds like Michael Jackson singing “Rock With You” on “Move Your Feet” sounds like Wham's “Club Tropicana” played at twice the normal speed.
The vinyl release only came out in two markets; Denmark and the UK. The Danish version of “Shake Me Baby” is an entirely different recording with different lyrics and is titled “Just Shake It Brother”. It also has alternate mixes of “Boy Meets Girl” and the American version of the album contains the single version of “Rhythm Bandits” (which again, also vary on various other editions as well). And the cover art image is flipped on various versions and the UK vinyl version has a cover unique unto itself.
If you're going to have a party where people may be inclined to dance via their own uninhibited natures or perhaps doses of MDMA or large quantities of alcohol. Combined with a good sound system and the volume turned up a ways, this is the album for you. Most very highly recommended.
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