Four Tet

Four Tet

A formidable sound technician, Kieran Hebden has excelled as both a solo artist and a collaborator, including projects with free jazz drummer Steve Reid and UK dubstep phenom Burial. There Is Love in You, the UK DJ/producer's first proper album since 2005's Everything Ecstatic, admittedly has some catching up to do. Gauzy opener "Angel Echoes" is a pristine mash-up of the headphones variety, but the nine-minute "Love Cry" is the LP standout, circling around a hi-hat and drum beat, adding layers of vocal samples and synth to the brew. You can almost see Hebden diagramming the music in his head. The more ambient wanderings of "Circling" demonstrate talent beyond dance music. After those three cuts, however, There Is Love begins wandering like the ghost of dance clubs past. "Sing" feels too Ibiza for an ear as progressive as his, and "Plastic People" unravels like its chill-out B-side. It really is an earbuds disc if you want to catch all the nuances, but unfortunately none of the tracks stand up to "Love Cry" nor maybe even to external stereo speakers. The result's a bit half-baked, which is disappointing when you know Hebden's capable of far more spirited adventures in sound. (Four Tet samples Mohawk Saturday, Feb. 20.)