Album: Jaga Jazzist, One-Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune)

The Norwegian nonet's first album for five years is proggier than ever.

Switchback themes, dizzying time-changes and a mix of proper instruments and ye-olde synths summon up the shade of Frank Zappa, while a new Afro-beat influence has led composer Lars Horntveth to speak of "Wagner meets Fela Kuti".

While seeing JJ live is a truly astounding experience, with an appealing circus-trick element to the way they marshal their limited resources, on record the relentless effort can become rather fatiguing.