Review: Justice - Audio, Video, Disco

Grade: B+

Justice have always felt a little like a poor man's Daft Punk to me.  They do bear a lot of tangible similarities, both being French electronic duos adored by both critics and hipsters.  Both experienced a rare form of crossover success for a genre that doesn't get much of that.  And while their styles of music aren't exactly the same, both duos use a similar template: uplifting, sometimes-danceable-sometimes-not, but always catchy music.  Daft Punk were the masters, but ever since Justice released their 2007 debut Cross, they felt like a stand-in, simply filling the void that DP has left since their last real album, Human After All (no, Tron doesn't count).  Well, it seems Justice seem to have decided that they aren't particularly pleased about where they are anymore, and have decided to move on to something new on their second record, Audio, Video, Disco.

One thing Justice have that separates them from DP is a penchant for mixing house music with indie rock sensabilities.  Justice take this one step further on AVD, creating a type of music that can clearly be labeled "arena-house."  Pretty much every song on the record makes heavy use of guitars along with the typical synth and drum machine.  The result is something pretty similar to Ratatat, with guitar figures forming the basis for much of the melody.  "Brianvision" is a prime example of a song that could easily be mistaken for a Ratatat tune to a first-time listener.

Fortunately, this record doesn't just blatantly copy contemporaries like Ratatat.  There is a much more anthem-y feel to a lot of these songs, like they're meant to be played in big spaces for big crowds.  "Ohio" opens with 40 seconds of a capella vocals before slowly building into a complex mess of synth lines.  The use of vocals is nothing new for Justice, but never before have they been used as such a key part of the songs.  What's even more interesting is that they sound perfectly assured in their new sound, which is impressive considering the stylistic leap.  But fear not, fans of Cross!  Songs like "Helix" and first single "Civilization" will satiate your appetite for the tried-and-true Justice sound (for the most part!).

Justice have taken a huge risk with this change, but I think it pays off.  Even though they pull from the template of Ratatat a little, these songs sound just unique enough to flourish.  Justice made a good decision in trying to break through their genre-chains.  This sort of jump sounds like the work of a band not happy with being confined to a single genre, so here's hoping future releases are just as exploratory.