Midnight Juggernauts

Overview

When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, peace will guide the planets and Australia can finally have their Juggernauts back. Fresh from a European tour with French dynamo Justice, Melbourne trio Midnight Juggernauts are back with a shiny new record, Australian dates and the meaning of life (though perhaps a little scant on the latter). With their debut LP Dystopia sending 2007 into a robotic warzone of dance, these electro guns are bringing their wondrous zest back with The Crystal Axis and more punch than an intergalactic Beastie Boys SLAM.

With founding members Vincent Vendetta and Andy Szekeres nabbing Lost Valentinos drummer Daniel Stricker, the trio has certainly upped their Euro-feel since dwelling in the Parisian quarter of Le Marais for a large part of 2008. Ah, l'electro c'est super! Heralding an infectiously synth-based kind of kaleidoscopic electro-rock, this triangular ensemble has successfully overcome the cluster of Aussie dance punk circa 2006, leaving contemporaries Cut Copy, Van She and Grafton Primary to find their own feet.

The 50-minute sophomore album of the threesome brings a more immediate sound to their generally sequenced electronic recording — moving past surface-value cosmic tomfoolery to bring a more vivid exploration of deep space. With new singles The New Technology and Vital Signs transporting the listener to some kind of musico-galactic tipi, the threesome have a revamped set, a revamped style (beards crucial), and a revamped DIY ethos that has garnered international acclaim. As these celestial musketeers look into one pastel wash of an interstellar sunset, Sydney can sleep sound in the knowledge their Juggernaut has returned.