Cross (Justice album)

Cross (stylized as †; titled Justice on digital platforms)[1] is the debut studio album by French electronic music duo Justice. It was first released digitally on 11 June 2007,[1] and later on 18 June through Ed Banger Records and Because Music in most countries and Vice Records in the United States.

Cross
Studio album by
Justice
Released11 June 2007
Recorded2005–2006 in Paris
Genre
Length48:13
Label
Producer
  • Gaspard Augé
  • Xavier de Rosnay
Justice chronology
Cross
(2007)		 A Cross the Universe
(2008)
Justice studio album chronology
Cross
(2007)		 Audio, Video, Disco
(2011)
Singles from Cross
  1. "Waters of Nazareth"
    Released: 14 September 2005
  2. "D.A.N.C.E."
    Released: 23 April 2007
  3. "Phantom Pt. II"
    Released: 26 November 2007
  4. "DVNO"
    Released: 19 May 2008
  5. "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy"
    Released: 9 February 2009

Recorded during 2005 and 2006 in Paris, Cross was composed as an "opera-disco" album. It features many samples and "microsamples" throughout, with about 400 albums being used as sampled material. The song "D.A.N.C.E." is a tribute to Michael Jackson. French musician Mehdi Pinson appears on "DVNO", and vocalist Uffie appears on "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy".

Cross was supported by the singles "Waters of Nazareth", "D.A.N.C.E.", "DVNO", "Phantom Pt. II", and "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy". A controversial music video was also released for "Stress". The album received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, reaching number 11 on the French albums chart and number one on the UK and US dance album charts. The album was nominated for Best Electronic/Dance Album and "D.A.N.C.E." was nominated for Best Dance Recording and Best Video at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Cross was later certified gold in the UK on 9 December 2011, for passing shipments of 100,000 copies.[2] As of 2011, sales in the United States have exceeded 134,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[3] In 2012 it was awarded a diamond certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 200,000 copies throughout Europe.[4]

Background and promotion

Cross was recorded in Paris during 2005 and 2006.[5] The concept for the album was for it to be an "opera-disco" album. Xavier de Rosnay stated about the opera disco concept:

We stuck to our original idea to make a 2007 opera-disco album, even if we are conscious that some tracks don't sound like proper disco at first listen. The best example is the song "Waters of Nazareth", which does not sound like disco when you listen to it for the first time. But if you forget that everything is distorted, the bass lines are just really basic disco patterns.[6]

Two songs were released as singles before the album's release. "Waters of Nazareth" was the first single released by the group in 2005 and featured "Let There Be Light" as its B-side. "D.A.N.C.E." was the second single from the album released on 23 April 2007. The single also featured the song "Phantom", which was also released on the Ed Rec Vol. 2 compilation album prior to the release of this album. The song "D.A.N.C.E." is about and dedicated to Michael Jackson.[7] A music video for the song "Stress", directed by Romain Gavras, was released on 1 May 2008 through the website of rapper Kanye West.[8] It was subject to heavy criticism upon release and received a ban from French television due to its violent content.[8][9]

There are three credited samples present on the album: "You Make Me Wanna Wiggle" by The Brothers Johnson was sampled for "Newjack", "Tenebre (main theme)" by Goblin was sampled for "Phantom" and "Phantom Pt. II", and "Night on Disco Mountain" by David Shire was sampled for "Stress". However, it also incorporates unrecognisable "microsamples" from hundreds of albums.[6] De Rosnay stated:

We do sample really small bits of things that nobody can recognize. Say we use the "In Da Club" hand clap – not even 50 Cent would notice but if you listen to "Genesis", the first track [on Cross], there are samples of Slipknot, Queen and 50 Cent, but they are such short samples no one can recognize them. The ones from Slipknot, for example, are tiny pieces of vocals.[10]

In August 2018 Nike, Inc. used the track "Genesis" in an advertisement for the launch of a football boot.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The A.V. ClubA−[13]
Blender[14]
The Guardian[15]
The Irish Times[16]
NME6/10[17]
The Observer[18]
Pitchfork8.4/10[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
Uncut[21]

Cross was released to critical acclaim. On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream critics, the album received a metascore of 81 based on 25 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[11] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone stated that "with loads of melodrama and not a moment of subtlety, Justice define the new-jacques swing."[20] Jess Harvell of Pitchfork called the album a "harsh and mostly instrumental set that nonetheless plays like the ideal crossover electronic-pop record", noting that "Justice knows how to sequence a dance album to avoid drag and boredom."[19] Michaelangelo Matos of The A.V. Club described it as "an engaging study in contrasts and a killer party record."[13] MSN Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention () rating,[22] indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy".[23] Christgau stated: "As dance music, not my idea of a good time, but as electronic pop, so much trickier, sillier and more kinetic than Kraftwerk."[22]

At the 50th Grammy Awards, Cross was nominated for Best Electronic/Dance Album, while "D.A.N.C.E." was nominated for Best Dance Recording and Best Video. The album was also nominated for the 2007 Shortlist Prize, eventually losing out to The Reminder by Feist. Cross was ranked at second place by Planet Sound in their Best Albums of 2007 list.[24] Pitchfork placed Cross at number 15 on their Top 50 Albums of 2007 list,[25] as well as at number 107 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.[26] Rolling Stone ranked it at number 24 on their list of the 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All Time.[27] The album has been included in the book compilation 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[28]

In October 2020, Grammy winning EDM artist Zedd stated "if there was ever one album I would recommend combining production and musicality; it would be Justice's Cross. I still feel it sounds better than most electronic made today."[29]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Genesis"3:54
2."Let There Be Light"4:55
3."D.A.N.C.E."4:02
4."Newjack"3:36
5."Phantom"4:22
6."Phantom Pt. II"3:20
7."Valentine"2:56
8."Tthhee Ppaarrttyy" (featuring uncredited vocals by Uffie)4:03
9."DVNO" (featuring uncredited vocals by Mehdi Pinson)3:56
10."Stress"4:58
11."Waters of Nazareth"4:25
12."One Minute to Midnight"3:41
Total length:48:13
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."D.A.N.C.E." (rehearsal version)4:29

All songs written by Justice, except "D.A.N.C.E.", co-written by Jessie Chaton, "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy", co-written with Uffie and Feadz, and "DVNO", co-written by Mehdi Pinson.[30]

Chart performance

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Gold 100,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "Justice de Justice sur iTunes". iTunes Store (France). Apple Inc. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  2. "BPI Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  3. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/465572/justice-returns-audio-video-disco-fuses-electro-with-arena-rock
  4. e.V., VUT Verband unabhängiger Musikunternehmen. "Mitgliederbereich public: VUT – Verband unabhängiger Musikunternehmen e. V." www.vut.de.
  5. † (Cross) (album liner notes). Justice. Ed Banger Records / Because Music. 2007.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. cross examinations Archived 22 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Remix Magazine Online. Retrieved on 5 July 2009.
  7. Stuart Barrie. The DJ Q&A with Justice dailyrecord.co.uk. Retrieved on 18 June 2007.
  8. Iverson, Jeffrey T. (18 May 2008). "Uproar Over French Music Video". Time. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  9. "2. Justice "Stress" – The 100 Best Music Videos of the 2000s". Complex. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  10. Harrison, Dave (11 November 2008). "French Duo Justice Reveal Songwriting, Sampling Secrets: 50 Cent, Slipknot Take Note!". MTV. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  11. "Reviews for Cross by Justice". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  12. Lymangrover, Jason. "Cross – Justice". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  13. Matos, Michaelangelo (10 July 2007). "Justice: †". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
  14. Dombal, Ryan. "Justice: †". Blender. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  15. Lynskey, Dorian (8 June 2007). "Justice, †". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  16. Carroll, Jim (1 June 2007). "Signs of the cross". The Irish Times. Dublin. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  17. Naylor, Tony (1 June 2007). "Justice: †". NME. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  18. Boden, Sarah (20 May 2007). "Justice, †". The Observer. London. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  19. Harvell, Jess (12 June 2007). "Justice: †". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  20. Sheffield, Rob (1 August 2007). "Cross: Justice (electro)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  21. Pattison, Louis (13 June 2007). "Justice – †". Uncut. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  22. Christgau, Robert (June 2008). Consumer Guide: †. MSN Music. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010.
  23. Christgau, Robert. CG 90s: Key to Icons. Retrieved on 20 November 2009.
  24. "Planet Sound Teletext Top 50s of 2007 In Full". Drowned in Sound. 23 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  25. Pitchfork Feature: Top 50 Albums of 2007 Archived 19 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  26. Pitchfork staff (28 September 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  27. "The 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All Time" Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  28. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (2014). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  29. Bain, Katie (23 October 2020). [billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9471549/zedd-interview-20-questions-skrillex-trump/ "20 Questions With Zedd: 'Any Living Organism Would Be More Fit For the Job Than Trump'"] Check |url= value (help). Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  30. "Justice (3) – †". Discogs.
  31. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 2 July 2007" (PDF) (904). Pandora Archive. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2016. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. "Austriancharts.at – Justice – †" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  33. "Ultratop.be – Justice – †" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  34. "Ultratop.be – Justice – †" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  35. "Dutchcharts.nl – Justice – †" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  36. "Lescharts.com – Justice – †". Hung Medien.
  37. "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  38. "Discography Justice". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  39. "+ (Cross)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  40. "Norwegiancharts.com – Justice – †". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  41. "Swisscharts.com – Justice – †". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  42. "Justice | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  43. "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  44. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  45. "Justice Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  46. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2007" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  47. "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  48. "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  49. "British album certifications – Justice – Cross". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 May 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Cross in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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