For anyone who has been involved in the electronic music movement of the 2000s, Justice is a name that will be instantly recognizable. DJ duo Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, who comprise Justice, first gained recognition with their remix of Simian's "Never Be Alone." The band then exploded onto dance floors worldwide with the single "D.A.N.C.E." off their debut album "Cross" (2007), and they've been rising in international fame ever since.
Surprisingly, since Justice gained such popularity with its innovative, bass−heavy dance sound on their first album, "Audio, Video, Disco." — the band's sophomore effort — is an extraordinarily different sound. The album's first single, "Civilization," was featured in an Adidas advertisement campaign and marked the first twinges of consternation from hardcore Justice fans. Instead of the band's familiar pulsing beats and heavy electronic sound, "Civilization" is almost a pop song, comprising a pseudo−Auto−Tuned chorus and none of the unexpected synthesizer riffs that were so prevalent on "Cross."
The opener on "Audio, Video, Disco." is "Horsepower," a song with teasing elements of the old Justice sound that never quite messes your brain up enough to warrant that description. Gone are the days of lightning−quick beats; the new Justice offers tracks reminiscent of the '80s.
"On'n'On" starts off sounding like the beginning of "Genesis" — lending false hope to anyone still waiting for any shred of similarity to the mental genius of "Cross" — before melding into a Supertramp−esque melody that Supertramp probably would have done better.
The music video for the album's title track was released more than a month before "Audio, Video, Disco.," and featured Augé and de Rosnay playing the electric guitar, piano and a drum kit instead of their previously requisite DJ set. The song itself is catchy and has a pleasant melody, but lacks the climax that Justice has perfected — especially in their live sets — where the sound builds and builds, ultimately conglomerating in a single moment when the beat drops and makes the song really hit home.
In fact, it is almost necessary to listen to "Audio, Video, Disco." with the mindset that Justice is now a completely different band. Otherwise, it is difficult not to get bored with the similarities between the songs. The entire album is inundated with the same chord progression from the same electric guitar and even the more upbeat songs are still begging to be remixed to make them more interesting.
Both members of Justice have been electronic DJs for many more years than they have been rock stars, and, hopefully, enough of that remains to keep their live sets as incredibly unique as they have been in the past.
The penultimate track on the album, "Helix," is enough to keep hope alive for longtime Justice fans. The song is also the only one on that album that combines their new rock sound with the electronic sound of "Cross" in a credible manner. It is necessary to remember that the limitations of live shows are far less restrictive than those on a studio album.
For those who are not too bothered by the change in sound, "Audio, Video, Disco." is, regardless of its uniqueness, an enjoyable album. The only problem is that it is a pop/rock album: Justice has melded into the bottomless ocean of average−sounding electronic rock music that is veering dangerously close to the house genre.
It is hard not to say that they have done it with some style, since Augé and de Rosnay are aware of the changes they have gone through and have succeeded in making an acceptable sophomore album for the masses, yet passionate fans will surely be disappointed.
