Four Tet
Everything Ecstatic

SMALL PREMISE: I apologize to the DeBaser users, even to those who mock me daily, for this duplicate. But since this album had been reviewed only once, I decided to share my opinion.

As a child, my grandparents used to scare me with stories of giants. Every time I wondered, "But do giants really exist?" Every time, I answered myself yes. It seemed really strange that two such sweet and kind people as my grandparents could lie.
And yet, they lied.
Then came the tale of Santa Claus. My parents made me believe that every Christmas, an old man loaded with sweets would come down our chimney and bring a sack of gifts. It seemed impossible that even in this case my parents could be lying.
And yet, they were lying.

A little while ago, while reading a famous novel, I was wondering: "Do so-called geniuses exist?" Remembering past experiences, I avoided asking my parents and grandparents. Surely the legendary tyrant Hiero, ancient king of Syracuse, must have asked himself the same question. He wanted to know if his crown contained only gold or if the goldsmith tasked with making the object had added a portion of silver to make it less valuable. As everyone knows, he sought Archimedes' help, who ("Eureka!") discovered the fraud in no time. Surely Hiero must have considered Archimedes a genius. And I think there's no debate about that. But in the year 2006, are there geniuses? Like Archimedes, in his field, no. In other fields, yes. Undoubtedly.

Year 1977: a boy named Kieran Hebden is born in London, to an Israeli father and an English mother.
The years pass quickly. The young Kieran does not excel at college. It is unclear what he wants to do in life. One thing is certain: he really likes computers. Especially laptops. But he doesn't own one. So, he tries to ask for a loan first from his parents, then the bank, and finally the college itself. All three requests are inexorably denied. And when he's about to throw in the towel, he manages to find a generous and especially intelligent friend (as he understands Kieran's passion), who grants the Anglo-Israeli the green bills needed to obtain the much-desired PC.
What a breakthrough. It's a true escalation. Despite the limited performance of the artificial memory, Kieran manages to compose real masterpieces, taking into consideration his young age (about eighteen years). From all sides, proposals and collaborations flood in, all extremely successful. Undoubtedly, for being a little genius, he is certainly not misunderstood. And his albums (electronica with indie influences and, partially, pop) make a splash among genre enthusiasts.

Year 2004: after adopting the stage name Four Tet, our friend Kieran releases yet another masterpiece, called "Everything Ecstatic". An impressive name, indeed, but one that fully reflects what this container of small standalone worlds really is, each different and at the same time so similar. A continuous contradiction. The album opens with "A Joy", which begins with an almost obsessive bass riff followed by booming drums and he, Four Tet, rules from above with his computer, a war machine capable of changing the initial rhythmic pattern of a dance song to transform it into a layered melody, a clear reference to the album "Rounds". The album flows like a plough on fertile ground: each composition leaves a tangent and well-defined mark. And so we enjoy "And Then Patterns" with its exquisite melody over a syncopated base, or "Turtle Turtle Up" which starts with beats of an extremely acidic taste, partially sweetened by Hebden's elemental base (the bells) and subsequently reinforced with rockish keyboard riffs that negate the beneficial and somehow positive action of the previous small sounds yet so distant.

An album that progresses with Hannibal's conviction in front of the Alps, but finds not frightened Romans but common mortals enchanted, indeed ecstatic, drawing inspiration from the title, in the face of the electronic evolutions performed by Four Tet. "High Fives", the third single extracted from the work, is the masterpiece of the album. The initial bass causes a notable rumble when turned up to full blast (with subsequent Mosconi-style curses from my neighbors), but later Hebden's keyboard invents a chirping amidst the electronic part. The example of the perfect cut and paste, as the musician "cuts" some loops and pastes over them the typical effects of his style (noises, bells, xylophones and so on). As usual, the result is magnificent, and for those who want to fully enjoy this song, I recommend watching the video in rotation on Flux, something unique (a raindrop in the middle of a downpour interrupting its journey from cloud to ground to then come to life and start wandering the city, reflecting with its glint the faces of some people: the last is precisely Hebden).
Also noteworthy is the second track, titled "Smile Around The Face", the first official single of the CD, which delights listeners with a very successful combination of a cheerful, almost circus, joyful melody with cymbal breaks and sudden bell chimes.

My impression? Well, let's say that after listening to the entire CD, between raindrops suspended in the air and fifty-year-olds dealing with terribly lively granddaughters, I couldn't help but stifle the sudden "Smile Around The Face" of satisfaction for having found something unique and, perhaps, unrepeatable. A masterpiece that I highly recommend to anyone who has particular affinities with electronica. But also (and especially) not. Enjoy listening.