Album Review: Justice, ‘Audio, Video, Disco’

If you attended a club at any point in 2007, you heard French DJ duo Justice (pronounced juice-tees)—their self-titled, full-length debut that year featured the smash hit “D.A.N.C.E.”

While Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay never recaptured the energy of that single, the two are nevertheless highly talented DJs. Their new album, Audio, Video, Disco, out now via Elektra and streaming on Rolling Stone’s website, cements their reputation.

You won’t find anything like “D.A.N.C.E.” on Audio, because Justice moved on—they’re not 30-year-old women trying to fit into their old prom dress for a reunion. It’s been four years since their debut, and to avoid the sophomore slump, they remodeled their act. In a way, one could say they’re looking forward by crate digging in the past.

While reappropriating 80s synths or 60s hippie-dippie psychedelia has been en vogue amongst college bands lately, on Audio Justice don’t cherry-pick just one vintage style—but an entire decade: Audio is a lesson in the music of the 70s.

Most tracks fall under the category of “prog rock,” but don’t let that turn you off. We wouldn’t have batted an eye if Justice called their second album Castlevania: Alternative Soundtrack, but the downright listenability of all the tracks is a testament to the duo’s skills. It’s almost as if they chose one of the most maligned genres to purposefully show off their capabilities: from opener “Horsepower” on they seem to be saying “Watch us turn an ugly ducking into a beautiful swan.”

One of the highlights is “Civilization,” a surprisingly danceable track reminiscent of Black Sabbath with Dungeons-and-Dragons-rock fodder lyrics: “The beating of a million drums/The fire of a million guns/The mother of a million sons/Civilization.” It’s one of the few songs with any singing, the others being the Led Zeppelin-y “On’n’on” and the eponymous “Audio, Video, Disco.”

For your inner nerd there’s the walking bass of “Brianvision” that turns into what can only be described as soaring eagle unicorn in space rock… Or basically the musical version of whatever Roger Dean paints.

“On’n’on” is sure to be a club hit, but if you’re looking for a hint of the old Justice, check out “Ohio.” Like the track and album title suggest, this trip to the past also includes disco: “Helix” and “Audio, Video, Disco.” If you’re a DJ, your track is number eight, “Parade”—great for sampling but a bit of a drag for regular listeners.

In Audio, Video, Disco, Justice shut their mouths and let the music do the talking. There are more lyrics in “D.A.N.C.E.” than in their entire second album, but what they’ve created is a fresh take on a very stale genre, and a highly danceable ode to a decade.