If you’ve been off the electronica scene for as little as a year, it can be difficult to stay relevant. Kieran Hebden has waited a massive five years after his last album to release a follow-up. Not that he should be worried, ‘There Is Love In You’ reveals his talent has not diminished.
‘Angel Echoes’ borrows a vintage soul sample and dreamy melody; proving that the “folktronica” tag he helped invent is still at the core of many of his tunes. It prepares the listener for an even more hypnotic experience courtesy of the nine minute-long ‘Love Cry’; where a fairly simple danceable groove is kept exciting by Hebden’s knowledge of what makes a good beat and another mesmeric vocal loop.
Elsewhere, beneath the bleeps ‘Sing’ is informed by a genuine sense of longing whilst ‘This Unfolds’ demonstrates that Boards Of Canada aren’t the only successful exponents of creating a weirdly nostalgic kind of psychedelia. Look beyond the beats and ‘Plastic People’ even recalls a recently modernised Kraftwerk.
‘There Is Love In You’ is a consistently rewarding record that does much to re-establish Hebden as an important contributor in the electronica field. So whilst it’s hard to say ‘There Is Love In You’ is a ground-breaking return, it signals a welcome return to the old-fashioned values of melodic electronica informed by human emotion.
Web Sites:
Four Tet Official Site
Four Tet MySpace
Further Listening:
Boards Of Canada, Kraftwerk, Minotaur Shock
Leonard's Lair Music Reviews 
Yes, another great sonic melting pot. As someone who dabbles with sounds on a daily basis – please check out my site – he is a constant source of inspiration.