JUSTICE - ACCESS ALL ARENAS

So, I might be somewhat behind the times with this. But I've just purchased it, so whatever. "Access All Arenas" is the latest album from one of my all-time favourite duos, Justice, and it follows much in the footsteps of their 2008 live album "A Cross the Universe." The main difference between the two is obvious: AAA follows the release of the french pair's second studio album "Audio Video Disco," from which certain tracks have been taken and mixed into stalwarts like 'D.A.N.C.E.', 'Phantom,' and 'Waters of Nazareth.' The effect is noticable, for whilst their initial live sets were very electro driven, here there is a far clearer rock edge. What's more, not only have they roughened up their classics, but theyve also added some grit to their new works, with 'Canon' and 'Audio Video Disco' being especially impressive. Whilst the similarities between rock and modern dance music have been seen many many times, never before has classic 70s rock, disco, and distorted electro sounded so very good together. And as a side note, the album's presentation is pretty damn cool, sexily boxed in a solid white case with a matte finish and golden lettering.

There are certainly certain downsides, though (I may be a bit of a superfan but I'll admit where it's not so strong). Firstly, the album does nothing new. It is simply "A Cross the Universe 2.0", so to speak. Also, there is an inherent potential issue with a live album - the crowd noise. Now for some, such as myself, it simply adds to the ambiance. But others do find it incredibly irritating. So just a warning. And the main issue is for anyone expecting a follow up to their first live album, there is NO documentary this time. Nowt. This is no real shame, but it has to be said... it would've been nice. And £10 for a CD that's been out for a few months and doesn't actually contain any 'new' material is a little steep if you ask me. But hey, maybe that's just HMV for you.

So really, this is nothing phenomenal. It's just more of what we love, and it definitely proves that 'Audio Video Disco' has some damn fine material on it. Now I've just gotta try and catch these guys live...