Track Listing

1. Genesis
2. Let There Be Light
3. D.A.N.C.E.
4. Newjack
5. Phantom
6. Phantom Pt II
7. Valentine
8. The Party
9. Dvno
10. Stress
11. Waters of Nazareth
12. One Minute to Midnight

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3951 in Music
• Released on: 2007-07-10
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Justice's monster beats, massive hooks, thunderous drums, and near-religious determination to demolish dance floors cast them in a light no contemporary can catch. The group's US debut single, "Waters Of Nazareth" arrived in 2006 and solidified their sound: huge slabs of beats, brutal strings, and cathartic release. That record sets the stage for this, their debut full-length, boasting the already ubiquitous disco pop anthem "D.A.N.C.E.", which features the best English children's choir since "Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2".

Amazon.com
Justice is the moniker of the Paris-based production duo Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. Their approach to crazy-quilt dance-pop hybridism is infectious, if a tad off-putting here and there. The duo rose to fame due to an MP3 single and super smart video for the excellent, kiddy-chorused house-pop number "D.A.N.C.E." in 2007, and they soon thereafter signed to the suitably named label Banger. They manage to make really silly and fun music in a way that frequently comes off in a pretentious manner. It's ridiculous to name your album after a symbol, especially if it's †. This is not meant derogatorily. Really. Justice does appear to be that rare breed of dance artist equally capable of stimulating the body and the mind, though neither Richard James nor the Basement Jaxx need fear this act. After just one listen to "Waters of Nazareth," it's very difficult to avoid wondering "how the hell did they mix and match noise and pop so beautifully" while also dancing furiously. --Mike McGonigal

Amazon.com
Rarely does a European DJ/dance album hit the U.S. with as full a head of steam as this one, but after the twin jabs of the singles "Never Be Alone" and "Waters of Nazareth," French duo Justice was poised and ready to follow with Cross. As a strong contender for the dance album of 2007, this 12-track debut shows Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé flexing more musical elasticity than the "dance" or "house" tags can possibly convey on their own, never mind the "French Touch" movement with which the pair is loosely and rather reductively associated. Having remixed tracks from artists as dissimilar as Britney Spears and Franz Ferdinand, the pair seems to have been building its chops for exactly this kind of resolutely defiant masterwork. From the relentless, gritty electro-bounce of opener "Genesis" and the stuttering, four-on-the-floor propulsion of "Let There Be Light," to the children's chorus of "D.A.N.C.E." and the rock-indebted "DVNO," Cross starts with a palette of house and disco beats and then throws the kitchen sink at it. The resulting amalgam boasts a tectonic range of reference without ever sacrificing de Rosnay and Augé's slavish devotion to the fine art of the party album. --Jason Kirk

Customer Reviews

It's all about fun
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.

Let There Be Justice!
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

WOW
All I can say about this album is WHOA

If you have a powerful stereo this album will rock the house like nothing I've ever heard. Its incredibly dynamic, almost tearing the air around you. Mix in a little alcohol and prepare to be transported to planet Justice!!

I wouldn't pick this up if you only have a boom box, there is a lot of transient sub-bass that needs real woofers (12"+) to do it justice.