Justice

By being packaged as a bonus CD alongside a tour documentary, A Cross the Universe lowers expectations. But even judged on its own merits, the recording–captured during a typically raucous Justice show in San Francisco in March 2008–holds up. The French duo exploded in popularity over the past year, as suggested by the roaring crowd noise that punctuates every pause, major shift and climax on the album. The recording is meant to emphasize crowd noise; by the time the set concludes with a pounding sampling of Metallica's "Master of Puppets," you may have broken out in a vicarious sweat.

Justice haven't been around long, so the point of interest with a live album isn't so much which songs will be included, but how those songs will be handled. Most of Cross is on proudly over-the-top display, getting adrenaline shots to keep the strobe lights pulsing and the bodies on the dance floor moving. Signature tracks are stretched and put through different permutations, then bleed away only to triumphantly reappear later in the set; "Phantom Pt. 1" and "Phantom Pt. 1.5" appear early, then the thread is picked up again toward the end of the set with a climatic and nearly ten-minute "Phantom Pt. 2" that drives the crowd bonkers. "Waters of Nazareth" first appears as a glitchy prelude, then later blossoms into the propulsive headbanger recognizable from Cross. Metal rears its head again during the enthusiastic crowd sing-a-long "We Are Your Friends," as the duo splices in the thunderous riff from Rammstein's "Du Hast."

Perhaps the most interesting question going forward for Justice–who have already proven to be a bit of a lightning rod is the electronic and dance world–is whether they can shake the criticism that they're simply standing on the shoulders of Daft Punk. A Cross The Universe certainly isn't meant to be their next step forward; it's just an entertaining, energetic snapshot of a band in the midst of blowing up. It's also a pretty convincing argument for buying tickets the next time Justice comes to town.

—Adam McKibbin
12.18.08

Designed to perpetuate their image as arena metal rock stars of the electro age, Justice's second full-length, A Cross the Universe exposes the French duo's ability to whip a live audience to a frenzy by using a massive stack of Marshalls to amplify their laptops. The soundboard recording of their 2008 San Francisco performance, loaded with crowd noise, proves that you don't need a wealth of material, live instruments, or even microphones to put on an explosive show; just an uber-successful album with killer beats, a beast of a sound system, and a venue packed with people who like to D.A.N.C.E. Capitalizing on the critical and commercial acclaim of their debut Cross, Gaspard and Xavier's set is almost completely made up of material from their one and only 2007 outing. In fact, the only tracks left off the bill are "Newjack" and "Valentine." While this may sound like it's merely "Cross" with additional background screams, it's far from anything that conventional. Here, the pre-recorded sequences of fan favorites "DVNO," "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy," and "D.A.N.C.E." are born again; flipped and redecorated with aggressive house beats to the point that they feel fresh, but they still retain enough familiarity to get fists pumping and mouths singing along. Moods are brought to a peak as song parts build frenetically into strobe-like pulses then die down into relieving ballads. In the show's climax, "Stress" raises blood pressure until ultimately releasing into a slow swaying, lighter provoking power ballad remix of Simian's "Never Be Alone (We Are Your Friends.)" In an ensuing encore, two other remixes are unveiled; a chopped up Soulwax track, "NY Excuse," and "Justice X," a blistering mashup that blends "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy" with Metallica's "Master of Puppets." [The true draw of the package is the accompanying DVD, an hour long documentary that chronicles a three-week tour in the States. Live footage is included, but rather than focusing closely on the band as they perform on stage, the footage is edited in a hurried pacing that matches the shutter-speed stutter of their songs. While you never get a definite sense of what makes these cool kids in leather tick, or any real insight to their musical process, you do catch a backstage glance at their mysterious offstage personas. Bad boy debauchery and rock n' roll excess is the cornerstone of their existence, it seems -- one member breaks a bottle over an overzealous fan's head, and the other gets married in Vegas with a whisky bottle in hand, for starters -- but the most intriguing part of the viewing experience is just how huge and passionate their crowds have become in such a short span of time.] ~ Jason Lymangrover, Rovi