A Few Words About Four Tet
I imagine if I was willing to incinerate a entire day, an acre of cotton candy kush, and wear out my floorboards circling to “circling,” I could probably cobble some cogent thoughts about the new Four Tet album, There is Love in You. Unfortunately, though the pay scale of contemporary journalism might insist otherwise, Ms. Cohen, my gummy-bear snarfling high school economics teacher insisted that there is no such thing as a free lunch. So lamentably, you guys are going to be stuck with my undefended insistence that this is the best album of the young year.
I’ve heard little else from Four Tet (I WAS LISTENING TO RAP MUSIC, I SWEAR), so I’m the wrong person to properly contextualize this. I won’t haw about “folktronica” or free jazz modalities, or the other genres and sub-genres Kieran Hebden dabbled in. Besides, there are reviews elsewhere. You don’t need me this time (if you ever did). Pitchfork liked it a lot and if you see them as the four horsemen of the hirsute apocalypse, then take the word of my always on-point LA Weekly colleague, Chris Martins, who slapped it with an “A” at the Onion.
My personal favorite was Nick Southall’s, who recognized the impossibility of adequately describing an album this unnaturally gorgeous: “Circling” is like he took a descriptor liable to be used by someone like me and made a track around it that leaves us plebs with no words to use. “Circling” circles. “This Unfolds” unfolds. He ought to call his next album Fucking Amazing Beautiful Music. It’s onomatopoeic. It makes me want to cry but not with anything even remotely approaching sadness.” Which is a feeling shared even by those of us whose ducts were permanently sealed by the constant repetition of “Tearz” at an early age.
Download:
MP3: Four Tet - “Angel Echoes”
ZIP: Four Tet - The Essential BBC Mix (Left-Click)
ZIP: Four Tet - “Much Love to the Plastic People Mix” (Left-Click)
Stream: Four Tet - There is Love in You
Stumble It!
February 4th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
I know everyone says “Rounds” is the one Four Tet classic, but I think his second album “Pause” is truly his best. “There Is Love In You” reminds me of “Pause” in the way it flows perfectly from song and song and the way it makes sample based music sound as natural as, like, Indonesian gamelan music.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
In my opinion, “Pause” is more consistently listenable. “Rounds” has moments of unparalleled brilliance and originality, but it also has some missteps, at least to my ear. I’m going to cautiously wade into the new album on the strength of this review.
Meanwhile, you folks should check out Glen Porter’s “Falling Down.” It is undeniable.
February 6th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Thanks so much for posting this! I had gone to BBC online to listen and the stream had already been taken down.
Always look forward to and appreciate your posts. Not that many music bloggers make me laugh out loud (in a good way).
:)Kate