Cross (for US release)

Justice | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: August 7, 2007
• Release Date: August 7, 2007
• Label: Ed Banger/Because Music/Vice
• Copyright: 2007 Ed Banger Records under exclusive license to Because Music
• Total Length: 48:47
• Genres: Dance & DJ/Electronica
• ASIN: B00122Z7NK
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,409 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MP3 download version contains the wrong track for "One Minute...", September 8, 2010

By 

sleepyastronaut - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cross (for US release) (MP3 Download)

The MP3 download version of this album contains an incorrect file for "One Minute To Midnight". The correct "One Minute To Midnight" is found here, on the "Toxic" compilation: http://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-To-Midnight-Justice/dp/B0026EECJS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1283974012&sr=8-2

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rockin' album, January 31, 2008

By 

ol' dirty media junkie "you know you wish you... (san diego, ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cross (for US release) (MP3 Download)

This album is a lot of fun. I'm a guy with eclectic tastes ranging from alternative country to ambient breaks and I dig this album because 1. it defies categorization. 2. it's orginal. Sure, maybe the sound has been "done before", but it still sounds fresh to my ears. It's the kind of album you can listen to a long time and find a new layer to entertain you. 3. The music manages to combine a sense of humor and fun with a hard/dark edge which I love and few acts do well these days. Think Daft Punk meets Chromeo meets Hexstatic. The first track is awesome, like 2 DJs doing Darth Vader's March vs. a Joy Division cover while on laughing gas. It could be the soundtrack of a classic Kung Fu movie meets MJ's Thriller video remake. The rest of the album is great too, only a couple tracks that I haven't really liked so far (D.A.N.C.E. among them, but it grew on me.) If you're a musical purist, and complain about how it's not really this or that genre/style, or too derivative of Daft Punk or anything else, don't get it. If you like smiling and listening and grooving at the same time, buy it. You won't regret it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Justice has been served., November 29, 2011

By 

rechungp - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cross (for US release) (MP3 Download)

Cross is Justice's first album. They have since become very influential in the electronic music scene, taking influence from Daft Punk. Although Daft Punk may have influenced them, I personally feel that this album transcends the emotional impact that Daft Punk's albums have had on me. Justice takes gritty beats and makes them not only enjoyable to listen to but very fun to dance to. Many contemporary electronic artists have a specific type of listener they try and target (as their unique music requires a certain type of person to enjoy, such as Nintendocore). This is not the case with Justice. They are a band that takes musicality and rhythmic precision very seriously. Not only are the songs musically sound and very technical, but also almost all of them induce urges within me to get up and dance.

The first song on their album is called "Genesis". The song itself has a loud introduction, which sets the tone for the rest of the album, as most of the songs are very energetic and fast-paced. The timpani rolls provide a dark yet epic introduction, also foreshadowing the style of most songs on the album. After the introduction of the song, a sinister melody is played. Besides this melody, the faint sound of a girl saying "yeah" can be heard in the background. The subtleties in this song excited me as I started to appreciate the amount of work that must have gone into making details like that sound good while still fitting with the song. At this point, I started to have high hopes for the album and listened intently for more intricacies.

The second song on the album is titled "Let There be Light." Before discussing this song, something that should be noted about dancing in a party or night club setting (where Justice's songs are primarily played) is that people are just trying to have fun and are normally not worried about the technicalities of their moves. The flexible nature of some songs on this album mimics this approach, allowing the lenient and lack-of-restrictions mentality that people have when dancing at parties or nightclubs. "Let There be Light" is a perfect example of this. In this song, Justice is able to make gritty sounds enjoyable to listen and dance to. The beat is very precise, yet the loose, wavering sound in the background gives the song a feeling of freedom. All the distinct melodies come together very nicely as a testament to Justice's musical precision. When all these elements come together, it creates a great recipe for dancing.

The third song on the album is named "D.A.N.C.E". Using children to sing the vocals gives this song a very playful feeling. The introduction has children telling the listener to dance, giving the song a very innocent tone. Despite this innocence, once the beat kicks in it's hard to resist the urge to dance like there's no tomorrow. There is a lot of bass guitar here, which gave the song an aura of funk. This contributes towards the urge to dance. There is a nice integration of both piano and electronically generated sounds that would make both Schaeffer and Stockhausen proud.

The fifth song on the album is called "Phantom." This song is a perfect example of how Justice is able to blend musical elements from disco, techno and rock. There are many distinct sounds that can be heard in this song. The introduction uses a keyboard and some sounds that are electronically generated. It gives the song a sinister feel, which is further supported by the beat that starts later on. The bass line also helps contribute to the ominous tone of the song, but also gives it the funky texture to constitute this as a song to dance along with.

Not every song on this album evoked an urge to dance from me. Justice stays true to the other traditional use of music, which is for pure listening entertainment. The seventh song "Valentine" is the first song to stray from this album's dance theme. It starts off yet again with the ominous tone, but I see this more as a transition from the sixth song, which had a dark feel to it. Once "Valentine's" base melody started, I realized this was more of an easy-listening song. The beat is slowed by a considerable amount and the melody is more playful than the earlier songs. The pitches of the notes are also higher and this gives the song a bouncy and blissful feeling. I thought this song was a nice change of pace from the fast-paced, sinister sounding songs that evoked feelings of excitement from me. I'm guessing that Justice wanted the entire album to be played continuously (because of their perfect transitions between songs) and that "Valentine" is meant to serve as a break from the energized first half of the album.

But Justice's talents do not lie purely in their musicianship. The eighth song on the album is called "Tthhee Pparrttyy" and is a good example of Justice's lyricism. The beginning of the song has a synthesizer playing chords very slowly while a hi-hat plays on the offbeat to keep the rhythm. The simplicity of the music made me focus on the lyrics which were very well crafted and although the overall tone of the song seemed very relaxed, the lyrics made me want to go and party. I felt that this was intentional because during the middle of the song, the familiar beat and sinister bass line started up again, meaning that it is time to dance.

The best thing about this album is that the transitions between songs are seamless, yet each song played independently still sounds great. This makes listening to the entire album in one sitting an amazing experience. This album elevates the listening experience, as well as electronic music, to a whole new level.