Just in...Justice: Audio, Video, Disco

    Two styles I have had a growing interest in since I started this blog are French house (a la Daft Punk or Justice) and what seems to also be a French style, nu-disco (a la Two Door Cinema Club, Housse de Racket or Justice). Consequently, the electronic duo of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay that is Justice, fits the bill perfectly, with their face melting almost 70s electric guitar and disco tendencies. Their debut album † (Cross, stylized, which had a cross on its cover also; plus the group always seems to perform with a giant cross on stage too) met with huge success in 2007 and particularly I loved the song, "One Minute to Midnight" as it was always in my head. † introduced a new sound to me that other electronic duos are not close to replicating. There is so much tension in their choice of sound (take the song "Stress" for example!) which makes listening through a full album more challenging in a good way. I definitely like electro house more than trance. Justice is on produced by Ed Banger Records.
    Though not as funky and memorable as †, with songs like "D.A.N.C.E." and "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy", I think Audio, Video, Disco succeeds in some very important ways. First off, just putting out a new record after loyal fans have waited four years for more music is a victory; second, there is still an electricity to this album that is just different than what † offered, and that is alright; third, there is more vocals in Audio, Video, Disco, or at least it seems like it, which I think will help the record's popularity; and fourth, some of the songs have elements of Daft Punk that will attract listeners. Going through some of the songs I liked or specific moments that shined, we start off the album with "Horsepower", which brings killer metal rock sounding guitars, and is followed by the radio single, "Civilization",  I think a decent song and more memorable than maybe others on the album, but not the best. Track three, "Ohio", has nicely harmonized vocals and almost harpsichord sounding broken chords underneath, with in your face synths popping up half way through that transition the song nicely. The instrumental tracks four and five, "Canon (Primo)" and "Canon" are really nicely done, with the primo leading right into the "Canon"; both are full of almost baroque electro house, with arpeggiated elements and duo synths. Next, "On'n'On" is maybe my favorite song, with a slower mood, but an intensity that is hard to beat on the album, great vocals and melody. I wish the seventh track "Brianvision" was longer, it is an instrumental number as well with duo "guitars"; totally psychedelic. Love the start to "Parade" and "Newlands", tracks eight and nine, the latter feeling like a classic rock hit, which picks up midway through. Ten, "Helix" reminds me of a Daft Punk song the most, with its repetitive breaks and funky rhythms. The intro to the other single, and [final] title track, "Audio, Video, Disco" is also sweet, but it is weird how the album fades off almost into the mist with the track whose title would suggest something more grand.
    I hope that we do not have to wait another four years for Justice to write their junior album! That being said, if you do not know them, check out † and Audio, Video, Disco, because they are unique and fantastic blends of electro house rock electronica (that may be redundant...). Hear the song "On'n'On" under 'Monthly Sample Tracks' and listen to more or watch music videos from this release here on their MySpace. Enjoy!