Justice - Cross
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Free Music Notes for Cross
Free Music Review: f the haters
Hit: 5 Stars
this is wher r&r went - catch on, catch up or catch a cold - suffer haters.Free Music Review: Justice's Cross
Hit: 4 Stars
Justice's debut album, (Cross), launched a new genre of digitally composed music when it came out in 2007. The Parisian duo of Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Auge stumbled upon their unknown musical talents in the early 2000s. They are best known for their image and style of music: a mix of strong rock and indie influence with distorted synths and hard cut bass lines. This style is excitingly innovative, sometimes sounding of equal parts funk, disco, acid house distortions, and hip-hop rhythms. When recording in their production studio, the duo uses several recording interfaces and software sequencers; when performing live, they are surrounded by two columns of 9 Marshall amps running Ableton on their MacBook Pros. Justice is an out-of-this-world down-to-earth team of expert composers that shows us that amateur techniques can make it big. The album as a whole shows a biblical connotation, hence the album title and some track names, yet each track on the album displays its own technique of digital composition.
The first track on the album, "Genesis," playing along with the biblical connotation shows the beginning of existence. Possibly the most widely known song on the album, it has been sampled many times in the media, appearing in video games, songs, movies and being featured in television shows and commercials. What many people do not realize is that the song itself includes several samples in the form of "microsamples" - not long enough to distinguish where they came from, even to the original artist. Throughout the album, about 400 different tracks were microsampled and used in its tracks. In "Genesis" especially are samples of Slipknot (just tiny bits of voices), Queen, and the handclap from 50 Cent's "In Da Club."
"Waters of Nazareth" evokes the group's original idea of making an opera-disco album. A first listen does not make it sound like disco, but if you can forget the hard bass lines and distortions, it sounds like a basic disco rhythm. The song resonates a sort of evil texture and, when blasted, would cause every cell in your body to shake in different directions.
"Let There Be Light" plays off a simple drum and bass beat with use of modulation frequency. The song starts with four variations of pitches of a simple frequency beat and explodes with more frequency variations and bass line.
"Valentine" incorporates sweet melody with sounds of grains or sand in the background.
"Newjack" integrates samples of different words and voices to create new words and sounds as such "Duridah Dura Duridah".
"The Party", "DVNO", and "D.A.N.C.E." are the only three tracks that include lyrics along with the music. "DVNO" sounds like a futuristic robotic jam and incorporates a little bit of phasing and a catchy tune. "The Party" incorporates actual samples of voices to embellish the singing. "D.A.N.C.E." is one of a kind (one of the more attractive songs) and was created as a tribute to Michael Jackson and the lyrics is the only one to use a children's singalong.
"Stress", "Phantom", and "Phantom II" are more of the wordless tunes and punctuate heavier bass lines with crazy amounts of synth. "Stress" has string beats piercing the rhythm while the two Phantoms have string with a nice build-up, climax, and drop of the beat.
On a last note, each individual track functions on its own, however the whole album itself functions as a whole. Typical of French tradition, Justice cleverly ends each track with the beginning beat of the next track without making it seem awkward. The whole album may be divided into tracks but in reality it is one song, one entity, and one story.
Justice has been compared to Daft Punk a lot as many people criticize that Justice adopted their sound from Daft Punk. Although some of the synths or software instruments used sound similar, Justice has a different persona and technique to their beat. All I have to say is that Justice does not use the same beat and repeat it for 7 minutes. I would also note that without daft Punk, the genre would not be existent and Justice would not have the street credit that it currently possesses.
This 13-track album was a commercial success and Justice is constantly growing in popularity. The album ranges in its sound, from video game music to old synth beats and pop dance music as Auge and de Rosnay show off their sampling and synth talents. (Cross) proves that Justice knows to how sequence music and avoid boredom, permanently rearranging the face of electronic music.
Free Music Review: Let There Be Justice!
Hit: 4 Stars
If the opening seconds of Justice's debut album, " ," don't tell you a thing about what you're in store for, you aren't listening. The mudded brass come marching in like they are coming to destroy, and in a way they are. Justice is a dance/electronica group, to be sure, but to label them as such is travesty in and of itself. Like that imperial death march, Justice is here to destroy. In this case, they have come to demolish your preconceived notions about what dance music is and what it can be. Now, until recently I have avidly campaigned against the genre which I feel is cluttered with mundane "artists" who rely on bad samples and horrendous loops to captivate a somewhat dimwitted audience. My opinion is slowly starting to change as I am introduced to artists who are challenging this perception. Justice is one of them.
From the opening track to the very last second of "," I found myself, not only captivated, but amazed, entertained, and energized. Justice comes off as a bull charging towards its victim, with so much momentum and energy that attempting to slow it down would be a fruitless endeavor. Their songs are constantly changing, never relying on a single loop or phrase for too long. And these songs are not lite, easy-listening electronica songs either. They're harsh and brash, with the mids turned up too high for comfort. It's not your average dance album, it is a revelation!
"Let There Be Light" begins with a near-unlistenable melody, but adds in drums, a thumping bassline, and so many cuts and glitches that you'll be in love with it before you know it. It concludes with an absolutely awesome composition that harmonizes synths with synths in a way that sounds like it'd be better suited for the closing credits of a Super Mario Bros. game than a dance record. "D.A.N.C.E." is one of the few songs on " " with actual vocals, and while I found them a bit childish and annoying at first, I was shocked to find the song stuck in my head hours after I first encountered. The song sounds like the Jackson 5 on methamphetamines, if only for the lyrics, "Do the D.A.N.C.E., stick to the B.E.A.T." The disco-esque strings and sing-along quality of the song make the song a sure-fire hit, which is probably why it is the album's first single.
Elsewhere on the album, there's the cut-filled "New Jack," the completely overpowering, yet satisfying "Phantom Pt. I" (and it's more audience friendly second part), and the 100% guilty pleasure "The Party." The latter features such terrible rap-lines as "Let's get drunk and freaky-fied," and if you actually find yourself liking it, then you may want to see if pigs grew wings. It's the one low point on an otherwise flawless album.
The best part about "" is the fact that it never gets boring, an attribute clearly made possible by the group's insistence on keeping the songs fresh around every corner and their refusal to use one loop or riff for any extended period of time. The quality of the songs is through the roof, and the genres touched upon in each song are too numerous to mention. While "D.A.N.C.E." is clearly your crowd-pleaser, songs like "Stress" (which envokes serious Requiem for a Dream soundtrack memories) and "Waters of Nazareth" are designed for the sole purpose of making you nod your head in approval while simultaneously scratching it, thinking "What the heck am I listening to?" " " is an achievement in electronic music that should be listened to by fans and naysayers of the genre alike. Finding a true definition for the music contained on this album is impossible, so I'll just call it this: amazing!
Recommended for fans of electronic music and anyone who wants to experience shock and awe firsthand.
Key Tracks:
1. "Let There Be Light"
2. "D.A.N.C.E."
3. "Phantom Pt. I"
4. "DVNO"
5. "Stress"
7 out of 10 Stars
Free Music Review: It's all about fun
Hit: 4 Stars
Every now and then somebody releases an album that isn't incredibly serious or groundbreaking, but is, above all, just plain fun. "Cross" definitely falls into that category. It's basically a party on a disc.
It's refreshingly light in approach. Justice obviously doesn't take themselves too seriously as one can tell by tracks like "D.A.N.C.E." - but that doesn't mean they lack substance. Although one can never be sure, it doesn't seem like the work of a one-hit wonder. For one thing, there are a number of strong tracks on the album and, most importantly, they have an original take on the electro-glam sound that is so popular these days.
A lot of reviews compare this to Daft Punk, but I think those comparisons have more to do with the fact that these groups are both French duos working in the same general BPM area. Maybe there are more similarities than that, but Justice isn't not nearly as repetitive as Daft Punk tends to be and their songs are more gritty and dirty. Above all, I have to resist this temptation to pre-judge them based on my feelings about Daft Punk. I hope listeners will hear them as their own group - not mere copycats. Actually, I think they're more like Basement Jaxx than anything else - but that's beside the point.
I've particularly enjoyed the way they can blend harsh noise and dissonance with such catchy melodies and pop hooks. "Let There Be Light" is brutal, but compelling. By all calculation, it should be grating on your ears, but instead you just want to dance. While the rhythm is tight, there's this wonderful feeling of looseness as if the instrumental parts weren't entirely quantized on a grid. The lack of rigidity seems to be one of the key factors in the very danceable nature of this disc.
As a side note, I couldn't finish this review without a nod to my favorite Italian prog rock band, Goblin whose soundtrack to Dario Argento's "Tenebre" makes an appearance on "Phantom." Well, more than an appearance - it's basically the whole song. I realize that Goblin isn't as popular as they once were, but I hope some Justice fans will check out their music because they were using synthesizers waaay back in the days of Kraftwerk.
Overall, this is an inspired debut from a promising new band. Although it may not entirely live up to some of the raves here, it's strong and good for repeat listenings. If you're a fan of electro or anything like Basement Jaxx, I would highly recommend this CD. It's fun and easily accessible right from the start, but it has enough depth to make you keep listening again and again.
Free Music Review: A solid and enjoyable electronic album
Hit: 4 Stars
I heard this CD while browsing through an indie CD store. The distinctive distortion had me asking the clerk if it was the new Daft Punk CD. In response he handed me "Cross" by Justice. Seeing the giant cross on front of the CD, and track titles like "Genesis" and "Waters of Nazareth" made me think it was some sort of Christian Rock, so I put it back on the rack (nothing against Christians, it's just that Christian Rock isn't my thing). Over the next 20 minutes while hunting through the bins, I was able to give Justice a good listen. It sounded so good that ended up grabbing the CD on the way to the counter.
This is one of the best electro-dance CD's that I've heard in a long time. Some other reviews written here disagree, but this does remind me of some of my favorite mid-to-late 90's albums like "Exit Planet Dust", "Dead Cities", and "Homework". Justice's "Cross" album is not on the same level as those masterpieces; but in the current desert of good electronic music in the late 00's, it is certainly is a breath of fresh air.
The music flows from track to track in a very smooth manner. There are great beats and they use noise and distortion in a blissful way. Some of the songs slow down a little too much for a good dance flow, but those songs make it a great CD to have on while relaxing at home or for listening to in the car.
There is one drawback. I hate the track "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy". It is the latest rip-off of "Supersonic" by J. J. Fad ("Fergalicious", "Wind It Up", etc.). Whether or not his track is tongue-in-cheek, I can't tell. Still, that's what my FF button is for.
That aside, this is a great album with some clever samples. I think my favorite is their sample off the odd Booji Boy intro "We're All Devo" by DEVO on the track "Stress". It's a very strange (and obscure) sample to use, but they really make it work. It was a nice moment that added a cherry to the top of this very enjoyable album - especially as a DEVO fan. Pick this up if you want to hear one of the best and most listenable dance albums to come out in a long time.