French 
is finally ready to satisfy fans who couldn’t get the tune of the Adidas commercial out of their heads — and let’s face it, who would want to?
Justice flushes out all the best parts of rock and electronic music, while giving their listeners a 21st century wake-up call with their synthesizers. Those who consider themselves connoisseurs of music should definitely consider buying the group’s latest release.
Few can forget the French house group that channeled the ’60s with their last album, “Cross.” The two-member group, consisting of Gaspard Auge and Xavier De Rosnay, were responsible for putting retro back on the map, française style. Four years later, Auge and De Rosnay are ready to show the world what they’ve come up with. Their latest venture is a 65-minute rendition of harmonies they’re calling “Audio, Video, Disco,” and it comes with a time machine.
The album’s beats are ripped straight from the heart of the ’80s and left to unleash their electro-pop revamp all over the techno community. The long-awaited sequel steps away from the abrasive break-beats of “Cross,” and takes a more holistic approach to mainstream music — starting with the song “Civilization.”
The song is a blistering detonation of sound that hits you from the first chord. Rolling Stone put it best, calling the track a “high end baguette beat down.” Hair metal-like vocals phase their way between war drums and a modified electric guitar, all while grounded in the heart of dance. The kick of your average rock song is still there, but it’s empowered through the trademark drum-and-base technique that Justice executes so well.
Contritely, fans may feel a bit shorted by the songs lyrical progression. Justice’s words sound like a disjointed collection of chanting. The elusive descriptions are enough to cause a critic or two to raise an eyebrow. “Civilization” is only two verses and its repetitive chorus stands as an example of why fans love Justice for their mixes and not their poetry.
Continuing with the stadium rock aesthetic, “Helix” dives straight into a digital groove with its funky cadence and soft synths. The song’s DNA is a chimera of guitar and chopped up vocal samples. Blended together, it produced a chart-topping single that crosses the threshold of classic dance music and blasts itself into the realm of science fiction.
“Helix” is Justice’s evolution in full force. It shies away from nothing new, while retaining fewer qualities from songs past.
The group’s last song, for which the album was named, comes from a completely different vein than both “Civilization” and “Helix.” “Audio, Video, Disco” is neither wordless nor fully lyrical. Instead, both Augé and de Rosnay spout a repetitive, but harmonized title for three minutes, to the background of a church organ. If the song’s appeal were graphed in a pie chart, it would probably read 99 percent instrumental, and one percent vocalization.
Justice has had nearly four years to stew in their own brilliance. What they’ve created is a potent mix of contagious sound. “Audio, Video, Disco,” is two parts retro-electronic, one part rock ’n’ roll and shaken lightly to perfection with some dances.
The new flavor may come as a shock for fans that were used to the ’60s style, the vivacity of “D.A.N.C.E.” and “Phantom,” or the harsher tones of “Waters of Nazareth.” Justice calls these songs “daytime music” because they are much more relaxed.
But don’t be fooled by the album’s less assuming nature; it still stirs up a controversy among critics who believe that rock ’n’ roll and dance music shouldn’t mix. Despite the commentary, “Helix” and “Civilization” still went kicking and screaming their way to the top of the European iTunes charts, going against all previous conventions of electronic music.
With its catchy drum lines and irresistible rhythm, “Audio, Video, Disco,” could easily be the rebellious love child of Daft Punk and The Who, the redeeming qualities being that Justice still retains all of their ingenuity.
“Audio, Video, Disco” gives us the revolution of electronic music from its first song. The album treats listeners’ ears to synthetic harmonies, while proving that ’80s music has yet to be extinguished. If anyone could flawlessly bring back the beats of 30 years ago, it would be Justice. The group has given us an album where listeners still get the bass, without all that pesky glitter in their eyes.
