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Product Description
Review
You have to admire Kieran Hebden for sticking so rigidly to his vision. Back in 2003 the London-based producer made an album called Rounds, which became rather more popular than he’d envisaged due to its winning mix of beautiful, organic-sounding melodies and novel, cleverly-manipulated samples. Radiohead invited him out on tour, tracks from the album began to pop up on everything from sportswear ads to television gardening shows, and Hebden looked set to become a quasi-household name.
Instead, two years on he released Everything Ecstatic, a record that upped the beats-per-minute dramatically in a bid to counteract the unlovely term ‘folktronica’ he’d been saddled with, and any suggestion of commercial intent. Those listeners who abandoned Four Tet at this point may want to give There is Love in You a spin, however, because, as the title suggests: the bliss is back.
Five years is a fair gap between Four Tet albums but then Hebden’s tracks are aural mosaics, painstakingly compiled to work on several levels. The skipping two-step of Love Cry, for example, may appear relatively traditional; but take a closer listen and there are intricacies aplenty, including an underlying synth whirr that sounds oddly reminiscent of the noise Fred Flintstone’s legs used to make when he carried the car to work. This presumably wasn’t the intention.
Even the more straightforward offerings, such as the aptly-titled This Unfolds, gently lull the listener in while sneaking a bewildering array of bells and whistles into the mix, so by the denouement you’re blissfully nodding along to what in less dextrous hands would be a chaotic maelstrom of noise.
There are a few recognisable Four Tet trademarks along the way, notably the chopped-up vocals and general CD-on-the-blink effects of album opener Angel Echoes, which, again, may sound slightly off-putting for those who wouldn’t normally purchase experimental electronica. But the soulful female voice, stuttering and struggling against the onrushing sonic wave, is so affecting that the track’s abstract nature becomes almost incidental.
It’s a theme that recurs throughout the record, and, indeed, that defines the Four Tet canon: mesmeric, melody-laden music, with varying degrees of difficulty. There is Love in You should be a fine introductory course. --Si Hawkins
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There is true greatness in this man,
By
This review is from: There Is Love In You (Audio CD)
Four Tet, aka Kieran Hebden, has always posed a bit of a problem for me. He is undoubtedly a musical genius I can therefore never figure out why he isn't credited more often for the quality of his work. He has always been capable of producing phenomenally atmospheric and intelligent music. `Rounds' was and still is an utter master piece filled with original and intriguing arrangements that manage to preserve the listener's interest throughout. `Everything Ecstatic' followed up on this with yet more of the same and most recently the `Ringers EP' showcased Kieran's developing sense of rhythm.We therefore come to 2010 and the first full length Four Tet release in five years. He has in the meantime been working with Steve Reid and undertaking monthly DJ residencies at various clubs and you can hear these influences in `There Is Love In You'. The album opens with `Angel Echoes' which is a typically atmospheric opener with what is initially a very stripped back atmosphere, the tapping rhythms lead nicely into repetitious vocals echoing the album title over and over to build intricacy. It is also accompanied by simple instrumentation which gently adds to the collection of sound in such as to almost create a dream like sweep of sound. First single `Love Cry' follows this incredibly calming introduction picking up on the gentle rhythm and building on it. This is a very obvious example of where Kieran's club residencies have influenced his music. The initial slow buzz comes to be dominated by a complex drum track that patiently develops into something worthy of taking centre stage in any decent DJ set, of course with the aid of some nice synth and repeating vocals. There will be some fantastic remixes of this track I am sure as well. So after that nine minute wonder Kieran treats you to what is initially a very smooth slightly euphoric dream like track. It is a warm and joyous moment kind of like the constantly grinning brother to `Tubular Bells', and it acts as a kind of excited greeting as well when you hear the eleven second recording of `Pablo's Heart' on the next track. This is literally as it describes a recording of Kieran's godson's heartbeat. And the combination of the two tracks makes a very nice atmosphere as well as helping the album to flow smoothly into `Sing'. This is a fidgety track with a repeated synth hook and complex bubbling rhythms and some interesting samples thrown in for good measure. This is a good Four Tet track with nice variation part way through as the gently stomping rhythm builds and changes. The next track is `This Unfolds' which starts with an interesting rhythm that sounds something like a toad trying to beat box. At least that's what I imagine in my head and I think it's quite funny. The drums behind are initially simple and the guitar balances well. A series of chiming and whistling samples are slowly added to the track before briefly giving way to be allow a pulsing and rattling rhythm to add itself to the mix. The ensemble then ebbs and flows to its calm conclusion carrying you along carefully for the ride before leaving you in the ring of `Reversing'. This really is just a bridge track into `Plastic People' but Kieran doesn't try to do anything dramatic in it, instead he opts for keeping the flow of the album with it and in that way the track really works. `Plastic People' then starts with a rhythm lead by some nice resonating bells, handclaps and shaking percussion. The track then gets a lot denser quicker than others on the album but always maintains that initial pace. The higher pitched lead lines of the track fade in and out as more percussion as added creating a nice flow that oscillates its focus between the two parts of the track. Finally the album is closed out by `She Just Likes to Fight' which is a quietly thoughtful track that seems to reflect on old memories. The music then slowly seems to focus on a single idea as if focusing on a specific memory. This results in the track being pushed forward by bouncing rhythms and softly crescendoing guitars. It is a strong way to end the album. So at the end of those 47 minutes you are left to wonder what Kieran Hebden has achieved. The answer is simple in my opinion. This is a wonderfully focused and intelligent album with some truly joyous moments as well as those that just sweep you into the world of Four Tet. It is a fantastic album that will be loved by existing fans and will likely sway a fair few more with its openness, consistency and continued originality.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Briilliant,
By
This review is from: There Is Love In You (Audio CD)
Either you clicked on four tet looking for more of the same, and if you did, you found the hidden gem, congratulations, if you didn't- this is the best mistake of your life - just listen to it and lose yourself, there are so few artists you can do that to nowadays, just take a punt on this, you will not regret it. http://jamhot.wordpress.com - whoring itself out to anyone who cares. -Yes, we love four tet too-.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mesmerizing...,
By Odelay In Space (U.K.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: There Is Love In You [VINYL] (Vinyl)
Four Tet, alongside his contemporary Burial (who Kieran Hebdan aka Four Tet did a 12'' with called Moth/Wolf Cub) has a knack for producing electronic music with real soul. Just listen to the chopped up vocals repeating the album title on first track 'Angel Echoes', or the way 'Plastic People' cleverly samples 60's girl-group The Chiffons 'Nobody Knows What's Going On' to nostalgic effect. Some people may be perturbed that Hebden has chosen such rigid and traditional structures for this album, but I feel confident that this is him tinkering with a well-worn formula and squeezing something new out of it, 'til his next album which will be something different entirely. 'Love Cry' may seem (dare I say) dull for the first four minutes with a continuous drum-loop, but when the hissing vocal eases in it felt to me like the wait was worth it for the euphoric lift. Last song 'She Just Likes to Fight' loses the beat but replaces it with a guitar melody so effortlessly evocative that it makes me pity those bands that try to meld dance and indie to such clunky effect (cough* Delphic, Klaxons, cough*). This is a wonderful album that only evades five stars because I know Four Tet is capable of even more. Here's to whatever he does next!
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