The age of easily downloadable software and cheap replication of CDs has its downsides: music is much easier to create and distribute (leaving the task of finding something good much more difficult). It keeps getting easier for any computer-abled person to assemble a bunch of sounds, toss them together and sound like pretty much whatever they want—either an excessive group or a solo noise "artist" with an arsenal of effects. Surely musician and composer (and re-composer) Kieran Hebden understands this, which is probably why for his third full-length release as Four Tet, he has exercised a refined sense of restraint. Here, he has taken a conscious step back from the maximalistic tendencies on his last album, Pause, patiently letting the songs play out more often than cutting a tune to a short sound-byte-style radio hit.
It's almost as if he has re-tooled his thinking into making Four Tet sound like an actual group of a fixed amount of musicians. While the substance is still being created from pre-existing material, this fictitious ensemble now seemingly use as many sources as they can all play together. The result isn't a mindblowing extravaganza, but a cool, subdued treat. "Hands" serves as a perfect album introduction with shuffling drum beats while the first single, "She Moves She" delicately marries sampled guitar riffs with a steady drum beat. Somewhat expected Four Tet instrumentation springs up like the harp sounds on various tunes including "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth," which has got to be one of the most hypnotic songs I have fallen in love with this year, and the hurried fast-forward sounding digitized samples, which rear their head on "Spirit Fingers." I appreciate the chance to hear songs played to their natural demise and many of the album's 10 tracks thankfully stretch over the five minute mark, with slow builders like the 9+ minute "Unspoken" and the album's closer, "Slow Jam," which is oddly remeniscent of some of the finer Fridge guitar-driven album closers. For those with good connections, a video of "She Moves She" is available here. Hebden will be on tour as Four Tet with Prefuse 73 and Manitoba starting this month. All the dates are listed also at the Domino site.
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