Panda, is the Justice album really that bad? It was on my list of albums to pick up, and like you, I was thinking the next OK Cowboy. But the song that got me excited about the record was an mp3 of DVNO that I found. If I like that song, will I like the rest of the record?
Well I must recognize that some songs are totally different to what you might except to here, like DVNO, Valentine, Stress or Party which are all totally different from one another but which I don't like at all (except as I said Party which has some good ideas)
Part of the other songs sounds too much like copies of Daft Punk, the transitions between songs sounds like cut parts of Discovery.
And Phantom and New Jack sounds like failed attempts to do a "Waters of Nazareth 2".
There only remains Waters and D.A.N.C.E which are great songs and Let there be light which rhythm is really amazing.
Ys is a great album. Probably my second or third favorite of 2006. It's just got all the markers for hype backlash. Eight minute songs, eclectic voice, big words.
You know, the sort of things that if you like will sound amazing, but if you don't will make you say "Wow, that's so pretentious!" and accuse everybody who likes it of just trying to sound cool.