CD of The Week

It's no stretch to say that Justice's sophomore studio album Audio, Video, Disco sounds quite different from its pictorially-titled predecessor (we'll just call it the Cross album for our purposes). On many occasions Audio, Video, Disco seems more like an experimental hybrid of '70s prog and Italo-disco -- think King Crimson meets Giorgio Moroder. And yet, it isn't necessarily a surprise if you consider one of cuts on the previous album: "Phantom," heavily sampling the theme to Tenebre, an Italian slasher-thriller scored by progressive rock band Goblin. And indeed, from the beginning of the latest release, Justice seems to be embracing Goblin in a big way, incorporating those proggy flourishes into opener "Horsepower."

Single "Civilization" is one of the best examples of that style with its slow, riff-heavy opening ramping up to a more familiar tempo before slowing down on the first, then picking up once more, that driving beat remaining through the rest of the song. "Ohio" seems almost entirely the opposite, languid and airy in comparison. Then there's "New Lands," a playful stab at Cheap Trick-style pop. But the album's most striking moment might be "On'and'On," which forsakes the duo's dance roots almost entirely in favor of an expansive arena rock anthem.

Just so you don't think they've left the beats behind entirely, there are tracks like "Canon" (which brings to mind Human After All eraDaft Punk), the funky "Helix" and the low-key "Brianvision." At first they seem pretty out of place on this album, until you realize these are also heavily guitar-driven. And therein lies the hook of the album--Justice has become a rock band. And a damn good one at that.

Catch Justice i Philadelphia on Tuesday, March 20th at The Electric Factory. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, December 3rd at noon.