Total (Sebastian album)
Encyclopedia
Total is the debut album of French electronic artist SebastiAn
. The album was released in Europe on May 30, 2011 and in North America on June 7, 2011 by Ed Banger Records
. The album was announced in February with the release of an "X rated" teaser. This was followed with a video for the first single "Embody" directed by So Me
, which was released on April 4 with remixes from DJ Premier
and Kavinsky
. The album features M.I.A.
, Mayer Hawthorne and production from Gaspard Auge of Justice
.
. The image of SebastiAn kissing himself has sparked some controversy, misunderstanding and confusion among fans and viewers. SebastiAn elucidates the cover art an interview:
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Allmusic writer K. Ross Hoffman gave a positive review to the album and award it with 4 out of 5 stars and called it "more familiar, trashy, glitch-funk maximalism" and wrote: "Whether you'll want to cherry-pick favorites or wade through the whole unwieldy mess may depend on context, but there's no denying that, a half-decade late or not, SebastiAn has delivered." Matthew Horton of This Is Fake DIY
supported the artist for the cover of the album and said: "this represents the “absolute ego of the artist”" and also praised the album with a score of 8 out of 10 and called it: "fun, thrilling and boisterous." Tiny Mix Tapes
rewarded the album with 4.5 star out of 5 and complimented: "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." Mike Diver
of BBC Music
gave a very positive review to the album and wrote: "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."
Q
magazine gave a mixed review and comment on it as : "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." Mojo
magazine gave 3 star out of 5 and said: "It's difficult to ignore Total's hoovering synths, filtered drums, glam rock rhythms and punkish snarl, such is its fizzing energy." NME
website also gave mixed review to the album and reward it with a 6 out of 10 and also wrote: "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."
SebastiAn
SebastiAn is a French electro house artist whose reputation started with his first releases on Ed Banger Records in 2005 entitled 'H.A.L.' and 'Smoking Kills '. He's also known for his remixes for artists such as Annie, Daft Punk, Klaxons, The Rapture, Cut Copy, Revl9n & label-mate Uffie...
. The album was released in Europe on May 30, 2011 and in North America on June 7, 2011 by Ed Banger Records
Ed Banger Records
Ed Banger Records is a French electronic music record label run by Pedro Winter. It was founded in 2002 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. The label is home to French electronic acts Justice, SebastiAn, Daft Punk, Cassius, Uffie, Krazy Baldhead, DJ Mehdi, Mr Oizo, Mr...
. The album was announced in February with the release of an "X rated" teaser. This was followed with a video for the first single "Embody" directed by So Me
So Me
So Me is a Parisian graphic designer/animator. He is the art director for Ed Banger Records.He has created videos for DJ Mehdi, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Justice, and MGMT. He won the 2005 MTV European award for his video for Justice called "We Are Your Friends." He is also the main designer for the...
, which was released on April 4 with remixes from DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
and Kavinsky
Kavinsky
Kavinsky is a French electro house artist, and has released three EPs on the Record Makers label: Teddy Boy in 2006, 1986 a year later and "Nightcall" in 2010. He has been remixed by SebastiAn and others. He toured alongside Daft Punk, The Rapture, Justice, and SebastiAn in 2007...
. The album features M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
, Mayer Hawthorne and production from Gaspard Auge of Justice
Justice (French band)
Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay . The duo is one of the most successful groups on Ed Banger Records and is managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter...
.
Cover Art
The cover art was photographed by Jean-Baptiste MondinoJean-Baptiste Mondino
Jean-Baptiste Mondino is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk, Neneh Cherry and Les Rita Mitsouko...
. The image of SebastiAn kissing himself has sparked some controversy, misunderstanding and confusion among fans and viewers. SebastiAn elucidates the cover art an interview:
- I rarely do things for a specific reason: for a start, the idea of a double kissing itself represents my vision of the artistic posture; it’s a type of serious joke on the relationship that an artist has with his ego. Also, my first covers were a tracing of my face, so I wanted to follow that idea with a photograph while adding something new. When you play a game, you should play it all the way or not at all. So, for instance, even if you don’t like your face you should embrace it, emphasise it, even! The choice of black and white is to break with the often very colourful graphics of techno. The cover signed by Mondino symbolises the total desire of the creator, the absolute ego of the artist who kisses and devours himself.
Reception
Total received positive reviews from music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Allmusic writer K. Ross Hoffman gave a positive review to the album and award it with 4 out of 5 stars and called it "more familiar, trashy, glitch-funk maximalism" and wrote: "Whether you'll want to cherry-pick favorites or wade through the whole unwieldy mess may depend on context, but there's no denying that, a half-decade late or not, SebastiAn has delivered." Matthew Horton of This Is Fake DIY
This Is Fake DIY
This Is Fake DIY is a United Kingdom-based music webzine dedicated to alternative music. It is named after a song by the Scottish alternative rock group Bis....
supported the artist for the cover of the album and said: "this represents the “absolute ego of the artist”" and also praised the album with a score of 8 out of 10 and called it: "fun, thrilling and boisterous." Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.-History:Originally called Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven and...
rewarded the album with 4.5 star out of 5 and complimented: "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." Mike Diver
Mike Diver
Mike Diver is a British music journalist. He started his career at music website Drowned in Sound, where he became editor, before moving on in 2008 to become editor of Clash magazine's website. He has contributed to several magazines including NME and Rock Sound.Diver is currently album reviews...
of BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
gave a very positive review to the album and wrote: "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."
Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine gave a mixed review and comment on it as : "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." Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine gave 3 star out of 5 and said: "It's difficult to ignore Total's hoovering synths, filtered drums, glam rock rhythms and punkish snarl, such is its fizzing energy." NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
website also gave mixed review to the album and reward it with a 6 out of 10 and also wrote: "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."