Four Tet - There is Love in You

There's a 12 second track in the middle of this album called "Pablo's Heart" which consists entirely of an in utero baby's sampled heart beat - I assume Pablo is Kieran Hebden's then unborn son. If that's the case, the early days of the Olsen Twins pale in comparison with this blatant exploitation. Poor Pablo will have to endure cries of "hey, it's that heartbeat kid!" for years to come. Those twelve seconds will define him, even though any doctor who hears later samples of his heartbeat will be able to tell you that it's much stronger and measurable by a stethoscope. I hope he at least sues for royalties on the grounds that the sample was used without this authourisation.

But let that not overshadow the fact that there is a new Four Tet album, because Hebden likes to take his time in between those things. The cheesy "folktronica" tag is less applicable to There is Love in You, as the beats are straighter and it's full of sampled vocals and digital glitches, but just when you think it's going to be an entirely non-organic affair, some free range guitar shows up towards the end. There is Love in You begins and ends exceptionally strongly, but lacks variety and dynamics in comparison with previous Four Tet albums, suggesting Hebden might have been better off making an EP out of the best four or five tracks and aiming to release a new full length later in the year. It's still, however, a worthy if not exceptional entry in his catalogue.