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Concert Wed Apr 25 2007
Disorder In The Court
There are two not-so-noble destinies that can befall a pop tune these days. One is for it to be used in a car commercial. Another is for it to turn up as the soundtrack to a high-speed car chase in a blockbuster action film. You know — the kind that usually ends with a huge explosion? Riiight. For whatever it may be worth, the music of the Parisian electro duo Justice is much more likely to succumb to that latter fate. Or perhaps, invariably, both.
As someone once said, "the price of justice is eternal publicity." And hey, if there's one thing Justice knows about, it's publicity. They got plenty of it thanks to Kanye West's outburst at the Grammy Awards last year, and their alliance with Ed Banger and Vice Records has kept that ball rolling. Lots of buzz and enthusiasm surrounded the release of their Waters of Nazareth EP this past spring; and while the thing was only three tracks deep, padded out with a couple of guest remixes, it was just enough of a teaser to whet mass anticipation for the duo's debut album, which is due out sometime this summer.
As far as Justice's em-oh is concerned, comparisons to Daft Punk have been many. But to my ears, it's most amped-up moments are reminiscent of the growl and grit of early material by the Chemical Brothers and Depth Charge. They throw plenty of dirt in the tracks, with lots of keyboard burps, bursts of noise, and squealy bits. Douse that all down with acid squelch, and pile atop distorted anolog synth that surges like a heavy guitar buzz-riff (the sort that pulls double-duty by carrying both the bass and the treble) and you've got the hottest variety of clublife thumpity-thump going this season. It's the aural equiv of an amphetamine surge — your heartbeat pounding in your ears amidst dancefloor sweat and smoke stinging your eyes. Meaning that at the end of the night, it just stinks of decadence and dirty fun. And sexy? Sure...but definitely in a way that involves more teeth than tongue. Granted, it's the sort of thing that'll probably be cluttering up the resale bins about eighteen months from now; but for the time being, some folks can't seem to get enough of it.
Justice will be at Smart Bar this Saturday night. In keeping with what seems to be an unwritten rule for such shows, Transcid and Mark Gertz will also be spinning DJ sets. Doors open at 10pm, and tickets are $15.
