Kieran Hebden is regarded as a musical Goldenchild. Having played with instrumental post-rockers Fridge as a teenager before filling in as Badly Drawn Boy's backing band back in 2000, Hebden delved with jazz and soul in the embryonic stages of his solo producer alter ego, Four Tet. Now at the ripe age of 25, he has been credited with creating the 'Folktronica' genre, and his address book of willing collaborators includes Aphex Twin and Beth Orton among others.
She Moves She is an intriguing amalgamation of rinsed, percussion driven psychedelia. It begins with some loose drum loops, before an array of melted sounds gush in and around. Roped in for a support slot for Radiohead in 2002, the musicianship appears to have rubbed off on Hebden, who employs an annoying 'disc-skipping' sample one would expect from Oxford's finest. Somehow though, it slips effectively into the mood of the song.
For the commercial market it would be easy to ignorantly deny Four Tet merely as a Radiohead wannabe. Far from it. While Kid A ravaged in sales thanks to brand loyalty in 2000, Hebden had the ideas churning in his head a good few years before. These songs are more upbeat, pleasant and showcase promise for the upcoming 'Rounds' album.
more