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One Armed Bandit - Jaga Jazzist
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. No Ripcord
    100
    Ultimately, this is what more bands should be striving to achieve: to thrill us, inspire us and confuse us - often all at the same time; to utiliize technology for the betterment of the whole rather than for technologies sake; and to allow multiple talents to merge and shine without a sense of the intrusion of personal ego.
  2. musicOMH.com
    100
    Walking a fine line between being leftfield and hook-laden, Jaga Jazzist have delivered another selection of epic, psychedelic sojourns through electronics, brass and beats that consistently engage and excite.
  3. The A.V. Club
    91
    While "Toccata" is lengthy, it never loses its thrust or ability to captivate--and excepting a mismatched moment or two on "220 V / Spektral," the same can be said for all of One-Armed Bandit.
  4. Drowned In Sound
    90
    On One-Armed Bandit they've mutated into an even stranger beast; a chimera constructed of parts from wildly different musics that somehow work as a whole and which should only really exist in the most fevered imaginations.
  5. XLR8r
    85
    Jaga Jazzist transforms potentially icy sonics into warm, clever outbursts with apparent ease.
  6. Clash Music
    80
    Big layers of instruments dual with and complement each other via weird time signatures, and inspired, complex riffs that sound like they're scoring a car chase from a cult Seventies film, mixed with bursts of electronic futurism--perhaps best displayed on the album's title track--a manic, brilliant piece of instrumental songwriting that shows Jaga Jazzist to be at the top of their game.
  7. BBC Music
    80
    Few records in 2010 will contain songs quite so mind-bogglingly broad, playful, beguilingly pretty and intense as these slowly unfurling ensemble pieces.
  8. Mojo
    80
    There is a pinch of prog too, manifested in kaleidoscopic intricacy rather than anything unnecessarily tricksy - their sound remains muscular and funky. [Feb 2010]
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  9. Tiny Mix Tapes
    80
    It is no accident; Jaga Jazzist is trying to blow your mind. It is supposed to feel like a masterpiece.
  10. Sputnikmusic
    70
    Bandit is a smart album made for smart people, and something that garnered them critical acclaim in the past is lost. So yes, One-Armed Bandit is a good record. But Jaga Jazzist can do better.
  11. Dusted Magazine
    70
    JJ continue to build on the promise of their early albums with an eclectic sound which appeals to devotees of many different musics including jazz, rock and beyond.
  12. Pitchfork
    69
    One-Armed Bandit occasionally overshoots the mark, but when it doesn't, the scenic route it took to get there proves worthwhile.
  13. All Music Guide
    60
    One-Armed Bandit dazzles early on... Later portions of the album are larded with so many graceless, attention-deficit hazards that it's unknown exactly what the band (or is that "groop"?) was attempting to accomplish.
  14. Q Magazine
    60
    Instead of setting alarm bells ringing, One-Arm Bandit manages to be both playful and innovative in a '70s prog-rock kind of way. [Mar 2010, p.110]
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  15. Uncut
    40
    In danger of becoming a Loose Tubes for the ATp generation, this once fleetfooted group have blundered into a vat of fudge. [Feb 2010, p.89]
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