Rounds [10th Anniversary Edition]

Four Tet: Kieran Hebden.
Photographer: Jason Evans .
Four Tet's ROUNDS is that rare electronica album that seems to push all the right buttons at once. The side project of Fridge's Kieran Hebden, Four Tet released two records prior to 2003's ROUNDS, but this acclaimed outing surpasses even those excellent efforts. Incorporating mid-tempo and down-tempo beats, ambient atmospherics, dub elements, and the noticeable presence of acoustic instrumentation, ROUNDS is expertly balanced in style and substance.

Part of Hebden's secret is his subtlety--the sonic experimentation is counterbalanced by lush, languorous melodicism, so that the tension and edge driving his sound never become too over-the-top. Even the frantically paced "Spirit Fingers" has a dreamy feel. "She Moves She" takes a hip-hop beat as its base, but covers it with soft bells and guitar lines that are later made jagged by a rhythmic sample. This remarkably dynamic aesthetic is par for the course--the lovely "Hands" features tumbling drums and found sounds, while the structure of "Unspoken" is both spare and expansive. ROUNDS displays a musician's concern with organic sounds and textures, yet is firmly located within the electronic aesthetic, and the mixture makes for a fascinating experience.