Chris DeLine

In one of Nate Patrin’s many great lines from his Pitchfork review of Justice’s A Cross The Universe, he points out, “What’s there to do now that they’re already pushing a live album right after their debut?” I think that’s the point of the album, to keep the fire burning somewhat until they try to figure out what the hell they’re going to follow up their debut. While being one of my favorite albums of 2007, †wasn’t universally received by the DJ community as earth shattering, DJ Magazine going as far as ranking the duo 73rd in terms of the Top 100 DJs of 2008. And on Universe, “Phantom 1.5″ is essentially a segue between “Phantom” and “D.A.N.C.E.,” not to be confused with “Phantom pt. 2″ which comes later. Despite adding various diversions to the track, hinting at what’s to come in the set even, “Phantom pt. 1.5″ does little to expand on anything that the French pair of knobtweakers have done. In that sense it’s the perfect representation of what A Cross The Universe is, a reflection of what we know the duo is capable of, but not necessarily a recording that gives any indication of what is to come.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]