Review - The Stix

The seven-minute sprawl of the closing, title track on Jaga Jazzist's second full-length confirms accuracy of the roaring buzz that has surrounded this Norwegian collective. The 10-strong group of musicians and electronicists tickled the toes of tastemakers with the hyperstylized jazz futurism of 2001's "A Livingroom Hush." Now, with post-rock, prog-rock, jazz-rock and glitch-rock influences fully melded, Jaga Jazzist actually live up to the hype and "The Stix" does indeed pave a brave new path for the instrumental intelligentsia. Fractured electronics and warm organic tones collude to create a daring and geekily engaging effect that resembles the sound of a Pentium chip being dropped into your martini glass.