Justice - †

In 1999, Parisian house duo Daft Punk released their sophomore album, Discovery, to a rapidly growing fan base. Part-club and part-down-tempo relaxation music, Daft Punk's records sold in the thousands, eventually reaching the 1.8 million mark by 2003. As a result of their success, Daft Punk eventually became a driving force for French dance music, causing much fanfare throughout Europe and even the U.S.

Meanwhile, in Rome, an ailing Pope John Paul II, famous as "The Pope for Youth," confided to his closest advisers that he would like to see the Catholic Church redeem the souls of the many youth of Europe that the church had lost in membership over the past several decades. The Roman Curia, after months of deliberation, decided to pass on the Pope's vision onto the Society of Jesus. In 2000, the Holy See commissioned the Jesuit order to initiate a plan to penetrate the very center of youth culture. Foreseeing the potential and efficacy of music and dance culture, the Pope approved top-secret plans to redeem the lost youth of Europe.

For this purpose, the Jesuit order decided to form and finance a dance duo similar in style and sound to Daft Punk, a group that it saw as a powerful force in influencing the lives of young people. Two young Jesuits, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, were chosen to man Justice, the electro dance duo that has gathered significant hype over the past year.

In a symbolic and fitting gesture, Justice released their debut album †, an aptly titled record that brings to life Pope John Paul II's vision long after his death. Today, Justice tours the world in search of souls to save. As of today, the band has redeemed over 2 million souls in Europe, Asia and North America.

In all seriousness, this record is good. There is a tendency toward repetition, but the sequencing of the songs and the late-morning, Benzedrine-fueled production make Justice probably the most exciting artists to come out from Ed Banger this year. "D.A.N.C.E." is arguably the best dance track of 2007, and the sampling on tracks like "New Jack" and "Valentine" give off disco and arena rock influences that are catchy and nostalgic -- in the vein of Ratatat, but grittier and less polished.

The album will be out in the states on July 10, 2007, but the leak is currently available on P2P networks.