Would it be weird to say “welcome back” to Kieren Hebden, otherwise known as Four Tet? After DJing in front of 100,000 fans at Coachella and Madison Square Garden along with Skrillex and Fred Again.., poking his head well into the mainstream world, the artist has returned to his indie roots; or perhaps he never left, and was just having the fun that he deserves.
We’re old enough to remember that Hebden was an integral part of Fridge, so we know that Three is not his third album; his career is now thirty years young, including twenty solo years. Four years have passed since Sixteen Oceans, which includes the sublime, flute-centric “Teenage Birdsong.” No stranger to singles, Four Tet has released, well, three over the last year, all appearing on the new album: in order, “Three Drums,” “Loved” and “Daydream Repeat.” The first, released last April, is now the album’s closing track, a demonstration of Hebden’s dual love for beat-driven electronics and ambience. It’s a great comedown track, growing more euphoric in its center with a drone-like whoosh before quieting down. This preview track is also a taste of things to come, as the drums retreat at 4:41, leaving nearly four minutes of synth with tendrils of voice.
“Loved” is now the album’s opening track, a straightforward piece with a calm tempo and stereo effects. Harder, thunder-like sounds approach mid-piece, but immediately vanish, as if a storm has threatened, then passed by. The best of the three singles, “Daydream Repeat,” is a different animal, with twinkling, chime-like keys and propulsive percussion, like the sun emerging after the clouds have disappeared. But even this doesn’t tell the whole story, as the album is sprinkled with other gems. The most immediately appealing, “Gliding Through Everything,” wins points with a fitting title, then fulfills its promise with a matching sound. The tone suggests an ability to “glide through everything” with one’s positivity intact. Like “Three Drums,” the piece shifts to ambience midway; the difference is a shift from ambient to more ambient, from a kaleidoscopic sound to a placid sea. The guitar of “Skater” is a reminder of the artist’s post-rock beginnings, an Easter egg for fans. As even more tracks retreat into ambience at the end instead of leaving just beats, they should make great DJ tools, allowing them to segue into non-Four Tet pieces that start with only a beat.
We’ll go ahead and say it, even though this may be the only album we’ve ever reviewed that was simultaneously reviewed by GQ. Welcome back, Kieren! (Richard Allen)
a closer listen 