"Rounds" is the 3rd album released by Four Tet (AKA Kieran Hebden) in 2003. I bought the album a while back after reading a number of positive reviews, skimmed through it once or twice, was disappointed with what I heard and then never played it again. I have dusted off the cd and am listening ... Read review
Rounds, the third album from Four Tet, confirms its maker, London-based laptop musician ... more
Kieran Hebden, as one of modern British music's most contradictory characters: a bedroom composer that obsesses over the roughest new UK garage and hip-hop cuts, ye...
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Rounds, the third album from Four Tet, confirms its maker, London-based laptop musician ... more
Kieran Hebden, as one of modern British music's most contradictory characters: a bedroom composer that obsesses over the roughest new UK garage and hip-hop cuts, ye...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Rounds, the third album from Four Tet, confirms its maker, London-based laptop musician ... more
Kieran Hebden, as one of modern British music's most contradictory characters: a bedroom composer that obsesses over the roughest new UK garage and hip-hop cuts, yet tucked up in his studio writes harp-laden melodic pieces that sound like the gentle flutter of a cherub's wings and have titles like "My Angel Rocks Back And Forth". Every Four Tet album is inscrutably, sometimes indescribably lovely, and Rounds is no exception. On first listen, it sounds like a near twin of 2001's Pause--a cerebral, organic-sounding journey through vistas of gentle European folk music, Balinese percussion and next-wave hip-hop rhythms. But even Four Tet on autopilot is pretty essential stuff: the opening "Hands" layers shards of stroked acoustic chords and chrome-smooth electronic swishes into a glimmering fog of sound, before tethering it down with crashing drumkit percussion; the bare "Unspoken" sounds like DJ Shadow collaborating with some obscure minimalist composer. In this meditative work, Hebden does so much to dispel the notion that electronic music has to be cold and clinical. Long may he contradict. --Louis Pattison
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Rounds, the third album from Four Tet, confirms its maker, London-based laptop musician ... more
Kieran Hebden, as one of modern British music's most contradictory characters: a bedroom composer that obsesses over the roughest new UK garage and hip-hop cuts, yet tucked up in his studio writes harp-laden melodic pieces that sound like the gentle flutter of a cherub's wings and have titles like "My Angel Rocks Back And Forth".Every Four Tet album is inscrutably, sometimes indescribably lovely, andRoundsis no exception. On first listen, it sounds like a near twin of 2001'sPause--a cerebral, organic-sounding journey through vistas of gentle European folk music, Balinese percussion and next-wave hip-hop rhythms. But even Four Tet on autopilot is pretty essential stuff: the opening "Hands" layers shards of stroked acoustic chords and chrome-smooth electronic swishes into a glimmering fog of sound, before tethering it down with crashing drumkit percussion; the bare "Unspoken" sounds like DJ Shadow collaborating with some obscure minimalist composer. In this meditative work, Hebden does so much to dispel the notion that electronic music has to be cold and clinical. Long may he contradict. --Louis Pattison
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Unconventional and more refined than the previous album Disadvantages: An acquired taste. Sometimes so random/glitchy that there is no cohesion.
"Rounds" is the 3rd album released by Four Tet (AKA Kieran Hebden) in 2003. I bought the album a while back after reading a number of positive reviews, skimmed through it once or twice, was disappointed with what I heard and then never played it again. I have dusted off the cd and am listening to it now to see if my opinion has changed since then.
The musical style is sample based with an emphasis on instrumental samples ... ...sound fx. Comparable artists include: DJ Shadow, Amon Tobin and Cinematic Orchestra. There is a playful tone in this album - tracks will glitch, reverse or randomise unexpectedly, or a new sample will be dropped in without warning. This is very helpful in preventing looped samples plodding along predictably - a problem the previous album suffered from. For example, the last track "Slow Jam" has a rather serious guitar melody giving you ... more
"Rounds" is the 3rd album released by Four Tet (AKA Kieran Hebden) in 2003. I bought the album a while back after reading a number of positive reviews, skimmed through it once or twice, was disappointed with what I heard and then never played it again. I have dusted off the cd and am listening to it now to see if my opinion has changed since then.
The musical style is sample based with an emphasis on instrumental samples to provide the melody combined with more obscure samples and sound fx. Comparable artists include: DJ Shadow, Amon Tobin and Cinematic Orchestra. There is a playful tone in this album - tracks will glitch, reverse or randomise unexpectedly, or a new sample will be dropped in without warning. This is very helpful in preventing looped samples plodding along predictably - a problem the previous album suffered from. For example, the last track "Slow Jam" has a rather serious guitar melody giving you the impression of a grand buildup.... before an irreverent squeaky rubber duck sample 2 & 1/2 minutes in completely destroys that atmosphere. You really get the impression that Four Tet is mucking about with the samples, tongue firmly in cheek and having a laugh. The only problem is that the tracks then lose cohesion and the sounds don't merge into a harmonious whole.
How does "Rounds" compare to Four Tet's previous album "Pause"? There is a noticeable improvement and refinement in the arrangements, with more effort made to reduce repetition and increase complexity. The melodies are stronger, the beats more varied. Highlights for me include the glitchfest "She Moves She", the solemn yet cohesive "Unspoken" and the playful, ironicly titled "As Serious As Your Life". This album is definitely a significant improvement and isn't a bad effort at all. Fans of sample based music are probably going to enjoy this and Four Tet may well gain new fans who are after music that is more experimental.
Rolling Stone (5/15/03, p.134) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Intersperses delicate, heart-rending guitar melodies with glitchy percussive skips and stutters..." Spin (08/03, p.118) - "...Four Tet has rescued down-tempo electronica from solemn techies and wine-bar burnouts....a more varied trip [than last year's PAUSE], with a darker vibe..." - Grade: A- Uncut (6/03, p.102) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Hebden crams every minute with delicate pretty tunes that illuminate his productive ingenuity....It's the freshest, most exciting and far-reaching left-field album in years..." Magnet (6-7/03, p.94) - "...[Achieves] incredible tension and grace....Hebden has found the secret meeting place for man and machine..." The Wire (5/03, p.60) - "...Each track inhabits an exclusive space of its own amid fragments of ethnic folk percussion and crackling beats..."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Hands
2.
She Moves She
3.
First Thing
4.
My Angel Rocks Back And Forth
5.
Spirit Fingers
6.
Unspoken
7.
Chia
8.
As Serious As Your Life
9.
And They All Look Broken Hearted
10.
Slow Jam
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
25/09/2005
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