zachary langdon assignment 6 prompts justice

1.       What’s your favorite piece of art? We’ll use art broadly here, it can be a sculpture, painting, song, movie, TV show, poem, etc. The key is that you can analyze it to explain why it appeals to you. Is it the colors, the flow, the story arc, the message, the rhythm? Try to give examples of why you think the arts use of these are praiseworthy.

2.      Write a description of something, anything, but make the description graphically fresh. Refer to chapter 6 on diction in writing with style. Here are a few good examples:

“a professor must have a theory, as a dog must have fleas”

                                                                                - H. L. Menchen

“the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ‘tis the difference between the lightning bug and lightning.”

-  Mark Twain

3.      When a change occurs in your life, how do you respond? Pick an example of a change that occurred in your childhood - like a move, a tree chopped down, a piece of old furniture sold - and explain your reaction to the change.

In 23 days, Woman shall be mine. It is beautiful to look and listen to, and I shall have it everywhere I go.

I am, of course, referring to the third studio album by justice. Justice, the French electronic music duo, is following up on its previous two albums, Cross and Audio, Video, Disco, with the long awaited and shortly teased with a third masterpiece. Two singles from the album have been released, entitled Randy and Safe and Sound. Let us discuss the former and more recent.

Rather than transcribe the whole song, I’ll let you listen for yourself via the magic of the internet https://open.spotify.com/track/1SxC0lHZ0OyEV4lvh5v9tm

But here are some highlights. The lyrics sound distant and soft, almost angelic, in their delivery. It uses a piano which alone sounds shrill and childish, but when put into resonance, it complements the vocals sublimely. And as the first chorus strikes, it swells into the most upbeat church organ to be heard, which proceeds to punctuate each line with a triumphant blast of nostalgic reverence. The vocal take center stage as every other instrument serves to punctuate them, carrying the songs weight during the verse breaks. The vocals serve as their own instrument, prioritizing resonance over diction. At one point a normal piano takes in and enters a give and take duet with the organ, the contrast causing the latter to sound more like a divine death ray. A repetitive electronic solo preludes a triumphant violin infantry, who take center stage, occasionally accented by a sweeping drone of synth. With the second round of lyrics, a gong comes in to punctuate the vocals which sounds like a disappointed church bell ringing in the distance. This is followed by down notes by the violins, which almost weep with each pause in vocals, but resume to their upbeat assault once they return.

Justice is often drawn into comparison with the more popular French electronic duo, daft punk. And granted are their similarities, but justice adds a reverence and triumphant calm. They have a not-so-covert religious undertone that shows in their frequent use of the organ and cross imagery across (pun intended) their albums covers. Their sound is monumental, awe-inspiring, unique. Their masters of sound in ways I’d never heard prior.