Total
by SebastiAn
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. Expert Witness (MSN Music)
    Aug 5, 2011
    91
    Committed to synth squelch and chary of synth tweedle, it's basically instrumental except when transforming Mayer Hawthorne into the generic soul falsetto he was born to be and M.I.A. into the cheeky disco dolly she's too conscious to become.
  2. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Jun 29, 2011
    90
    The timing may be off, but Total transcends trends to be one of the year's best dance records, and a likely cult classic in the making.
  3. AllMusic
    Jul 6, 2011
    80
    There's no denying that, a half-decade late or not, SebastiAn has delivered.
  5. BBC Music
    Jun 29, 2011
    80
    There are moments where Total does come close to a Daft Punk pastiche. But these are few and far between, and there's plenty enough of Sebastian's own character on show to make this one of the most enjoyable dance albums of 2011 so far.
  6. Los Angeles Times
    Jul 6, 2011
    63
    He's got an undeniable flair for layering trashy techno-rock textures over hard-thumping disco-metal grooves.
  7. Q Magazine
    Jun 29, 2011
    60
    Twenty-two tracks long, Total is an eclectic joyride through myriad musical styles; the beauty being that none sticks around long enough to get boring. [Jul 2011, p.119]
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  8. Mojo
    Jun 29, 2011
    60
    It's difficult to ignore Total's hoovering synths, filtered drums, glam rock rhythms and punkish snarl, such is its fizzing energy. [Jul 2011, p.115]
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  9. No Ripcord
    Jun 29, 2011
    60
    The problem with this album is that it brings very little new to the table, for fans and non-fans alike. By far the strongest track on the album is the aforementioned Ross Ross Ross which, as stated above, was released five years ago now (and, in any case, the EP version is stronger than the album version).
  10. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jun 29, 2011
    60
    Total couldn't be more mid-noughties if it came dressed in a geometric hoodie, and the result is a chopped-up, sample-heavy stew that's a whole load of fun if the Tales Of The Jackalope shebang was your Hacienda.
  11. Pitchfork
    Jul 26, 2011
    56
    Highlights aside, Total's belligerence is as predictable as it is teeth-grinding.
  12. Uncut
    Jul 28, 2011
    40
    While his unique but resolutely unchanging styles of slap bass shards and cut-up vocal syllables works well in a balanced DJ set, it wears quickly over 22 tracks. [Jul 2011, p.94]
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. TaipeiJoey
    Apr 21, 2020
    7
    first.
    also the album is good, gets a little too loud at times, but it's not poorly mixed.
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