Listen to the music of today / #1 Jaga Jazzist

After the short introduction to the album, the title track burst loose with an uplifting clavinet driven melody. The piece proves to be one of the highlights of the albums, with a very notable, epic reprise of the main theme after the middle part. The group says the album to be (partly) inspired by fruit machines, hence the many a ascending melodies that can be noticed a lot in the title track. A thick drum fill takes the listener to "Bananfluer Overalt", which means fruit fly translated to English. The song feels more laid back than the previous track, being less uplifting and dynamic but rather a mellow, more ambient piece. Still, there are some very fine melodies to be heard. Same goes for the lengthy "Tocatto", that slowly builds towards its climax but never get over the top; "Music! Dance! Drama!" which I might call my favorite track of the album; and the album closer "Touch Of Evil". "220V/Spektral" is the only track on the album of which I have mixed feelings. It sounds good, but at the same time is feels a bit messy and perhaps out of place looking at the other songs. The two remaining songs, "Prognissekongen" and "Book Of Glass" both open in a way that could go anywhere, but fortunately they prove to be great tracks both sharing the dynamic feel of the title track.

One-Armed Bandit is a very molodic, uplifting and therefore likeable album. I must say that I not often feel like listening the entire album in one spin, perhaps because it's not all too diverse. Nevertheless, nearly all individual tracks are great and very enjoyable. The album features some very dynamic and energetic moments, like for instance the title track. A side note, when you find yourself liking the album and you have the chance to see these guys live, don't hesitate.

Except this, let's state big yes - it crosses the line sometimes and explores Psychedelic (neo psych) regions, but also another, more important thing - yes, it's electronic a lot and some of you maybe know how much I hate electronic sounds in Prog. I hate them.

But here, it works, it's useful and couldn't be better with anything else (most possibly). Even not completely. This flavor of electronic sound may be too much for you and I've just listened recommendations and went for this album, that's it, without proper preparation before listening it. I'll probably leave it on

4(-), as first "half" is quite good and I like it a lot, but second one is, well, weaker but still, this album deserves attention.

Combining electronic music, indie, jazz, Zappa-esque fusion and the post-rock spirit ever present in Jaga Jazzist's music, 'One-Armed Bandit' is a very catchy album, one of those records you'll play in its entirety every single day for about a couple of months and then store it on your shelf until you feel you're in the mood to remember the great music you've heard.

'One-Armed Bandit' is a lot more proggier (and groovier, even though that's a rare combination) than the previous Jaga albums. It has lost a bit of the purer jazz spirit though; the synths are very proeminent and give this album a very distinctive sound.

Pros: original music, amazing horn section, clear production, "Prognissekongen" (the best song in the album).

Cons: last 3 songs aren't as good as the others; some compositions are a bit too repetitive and could have been shorter, for example the title track and "Toccata."

4 well-earned stars, an excellent addition to any fusion/electronic music fan.