Justice Vs Maroon 5, Siobhan and Rihanna

Justice - † (Ed Banger Records)



To say this album sounds like Daft Punk is not quite accurate; it sounds more Thomas Bangalter's solo work ('Outrage' in particular). Apart from borrowing all the Daft Punk kit Gaspard and Xavier brought along the signature Justice sounds, a chalk-board, a set of nails and a fox screaming in pain. The boys have some great moments, D.A.N.C.E is a brilliant slice of infectious, uplifting disco. 'DVNO' will get a lot of butts on the dance-floor and the last minute of 'Let There Be Light' is beautiful.

Sadly the album is full of songs that are almost really good but fall at the last hurdle. 'New Jack' almost satisfies but after a short time falls into classic Justice territory... 'the grate zone'. The same can be said for 'Phantom PT 1'and 'Valentine'. 'Phantom PT 2' and 'Genesis' also offer great promise but are somewhat butchered by Justice's blunt overkill production tastes. The 'Party' features the one trick pony, Uffie. Uffie only has one 'flow' and her boring delivery becomes stagnant after 25 seconds.

Certainly quite a enjoyable album in places but no Daft Punk replacement; ignore the ridiculous beatz and buzz.

7 out of 11

Albert Hoxton: Calvin Calvin Calvin Calvin please.

Justice - Let There Be Light (iTunes)

Siobhan Donaghy - Ghosts (Parlophone)



Siobhan is difficult to write but a delight to listen to. The Sugababe back-catalog is hardly busting with consistent merit but its gingerly departed co-founder Siobhan Donaghy has delivered a collection of songs as stunning as her beauty. Siobhan has concentrated on making an album full of honesty, rather than hits. The production of the LP is cloaked in atmosphere, captured most evidently by the back-to-front vocals of the title track 'Ghosts'. "Medavac' finds Siobhan in full Kate Bush 'Wuthering Heights' mode; its one of the songs of the year so far. We like Mutya but she wont top this...

10.6 out of 11

Albert Hoxton: I wanna have your babies


Siobhan - Ghost Album Sample (iTunes)

Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long (Universal)



Maroon 5 are set to cement their position as one of the world's biggest acts, they are also destined to remain one of the most hated. There is always a backlash against bands that make heavily commercial albums. In Maroon 5's defence they have never been ashamed of their pop sensibilities. They have always used the most cliched, and harmonious chords; perfect for daytime radio and dinner parties.

Adam Levine and and the boys spoke of the album being their raciest to date, I assume they are referring to the semi-funky bridges in the global monster "Makes Me Wonder' and 'If I Never See Your Face Again'. This album, unsurprisingly, lacks imagination. Levine re-uses his own vocals from Kanye West's 'Heard 'em Say' on 'Nothing Last Forever', surely a verse from Kanye would have broken up the monotonous tone of the album a little?

Despite the album being totally predictable it is still a decent pop effort. If you don't like Maroon 5 I suggest you don't listen to the radio for the next 18 months...

6.8 out of 11.
Albert Hoxton: Why the chop did Sony let Universal snare Maroon 5?

Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder (iTunes)



Rihanna 'Good Girl Gone Bad' (Def Jam)



Interesting album title... 'Bad Girl Gone Good' would have made more sense. 3 albums in 18 months, that Jay-Z fella certainly is a slave driver. This is Rihanna's first album of any note. It is by no means a fantastic but they seemed to have worked it to Rihanna's strengths, her dancing. Second single 'Shut up and drive' rocks a la P!nk/Kelly Clarkson and Ne-Yo provides a ballad that will be stuck on American radio for months. Rihanna shines the brightest when she avoids the mid-tempo type of slush that ruined the Amerie album. The Justin Timberlake penned 'Rehab' seems unspectacular at first but grows with every listen.

6.9 out of 11

Rihanna - Umbrella Ft Jay-Z

Take Justice And Party

Justice have two fantastic records.

D.A.N.C.E and Never Be Alone


The rest of their stuff is generally woeful. Their DJing is very average.


However the atmosphere was unbelievable, inexplicable actually. What is all the fuss about? They look cool but offer very little. The crowd acted like they were at a Take That concert in 1994.


Students and drugs = Sweaty pandemonium.

Here is a the best song I have heard/bought today by miles...

Gym Class Heroes - Clothes Off Ft Fall Out Boy?

Jay-Z Vs Justice Ft Mark Ronson

DJ Vibe and Max - Show Me How To D.A.N.C.E

Ripped from Mark Ronson's brilliant podcast

It features Jay-Z over Justice and Mark Ronson tracks. Check it out.

D.A.N.C.E For P!nk Justice

Justice

Good work boys, finally you make a song with some melody and purpose. D.A.N.C.E is glorious, their best song yet. A pulsating combination of Michael Jackson inspired lyrics gyrating over a wonderful threesome comprising Cassius '1999', Gorillaz 'Dirty Harry' and whatever Mark Ronson sampled on 'Ooh Wee'

NOTE TO JUSTICE: Please adhere to all the funky cliches of French house and ignore the horrible 'fox in a blender' sound that has plagued most of your work.





As a 'bonus' find P!nk covering two of her pop idols: Janis Joplin and the lesbian hero Linda Perry. Perry destroyed most of her credibility by siding with Christina over P!nk. To compound her first error she then also signed James Blunt. It is not possible to buy these anywhere and I had to use about 47 programs to encode them so enjoy.

The Jay-Z track is his latest 'diss' to the hopeless Jim Jones and Dipset. Jay hardly bothers, he just chats and proclaims himself 'The Black 007, James Bond'. Dipset's lameness highlights the weak state of New York rap. Step up Papoose please.....

Justice - D.A.N.C.E (Radio Rip) - Link Removed

Justice Vs Simian - Never Be Alone (DJ Hell's Bavarian Mix)

Justice Vs Simian - Never Be Alone (iTunes Link)

P!nk - What' Going On Live (4 Non Blondes Cover)

P!nk - Janis Joplin Tribute Live

Jay-Z - Tru Life

Just Daft Ice Punks - Dance Music in 2006

Daft Punk released a Greatest Hits this year, why?

They only have three studio albums, the third of which was only made public a year before they dumped out the premature hits collection. I can only guess, but, the nature of the third album (2005's Human After All) suggests that perhaps they were desperate to get out of their record deal with Virgin.

Evidence for this would be the slew of dodgy releases in the last few years: The live Alive CD from a 1997 concert, The Daft Club Album, This stupid Hits collection and arguably 'Human After All'. Human After All, made in six weeks was the most disappointing album I have ever heard, you can tell it was rushed. Discovery (which was better than Homework) took two years and is almost a perfect album.

The title, Human After All, is perhaps the key. Did they make a shoddy album on purpose? Were they trying to shake the record label, industry and fans off their backs? Are they now free agents with the Virgin deal expired? Who knows? Were they that keen to get rid of the 'man' that they spiked their own recording legacy? Or did they just lose the musical plot? Releasing a Greatest Hits is often the signal of the end of a record contract but Daft Punk are meant to have one of the most respected record deals in music. My understanding is that its pretty much a distribution deal where they retain control of the output/marketing/design and get an healthy number of the points on their records. In essence they get freedom, don't have to do interviews and get serious cash from Virgin. So what to make of it?




The strange thing is that the weaker third album has almost become a cult album because of its ambiguity and a couple of compelling tracks that would have fitted onto the debut 'Homework'. Apple's iTunes Ad and Busta Rhymes' re-working have exposed the joy of 'Technologic'. A song, which at first sounded like a rip off of Mylo's 'Destroy Rock and Roll' (very worrying to start with). A Handful of other tracks on the album have sort of become 'acceptable' Punkster tracks in the past year; tracks that were initially spurned in disgust at the come-down of 'Human After All'.

Why am I talking about Daft Punk in reference to 2006? Well, they isn't much to get excited about in dance music today; sadly. People name drop Justice and Erol Alkan but when the dust settles it will become apparent (if it isnt already to those not on drugs) that they are shit. Justice Vs Simian is the best dance record of the last two years. A radio friendly ode to Daft Punk that was as catchy and well produced as you could hope. But, and its a big BUT, they offer nothing else. All their other records are dreadful and are filled with the grating sound of electronically distorted guitars played at the wrong pitch; pretty much un-listenable. Their remixes of Britney and Daft Punk are painful. Erol has a cool name and appears to a nice chap but he has done nothing to cheer about, the Franz Ferdinand Remix never goes anywhere and has absolutely no imagination. I hope they prove me wrong but I doubt it. We all flirted with Uffie and Cansei De Ser Sexy but they never lasted in my heart

In 2007 we can have hope. Madonna's criminal world tour is over and hopefully this will release her 'musical director/alleged Whammy partner' Stuart Price to make some music. All I have registered from Lu Cont this year is his remix of The Killers which is enjoyable but uninspired. He said a year ago he didnt want to be a remixer or even a producer for others, lets have another Les Rythmes Digitales album please Squire. The Chemical Brothers are coming back in the Spring and I hope Basement Jaxx will too.

In 2007 I pray the electro/minimal scene finally dies; its not as if it had any life in it anyway....


Here is a link to an mp4 of Daft Punk 'Around the World' Live; cant remember where I got it from but its cool and rare.