Rounds - Four Tet

yes

folktronic? call it what you will: this is a very good album.
very well put together - which is not always easy when your're mixing technology and natural instruments sounds

A Milestone

Rounds changed my life and the course of my musical maturation. It is profound in its minimalism. Its rhythms play out like jazz, its composition like hip-hop, and its sentiments read like ethnic and folk music in a combination I couldn't have imagined before hearing. Caught between electronica, jazz, hip-hop, and rock, when I came across "Rounds" it was exactly what I wanted to hear in music at that given time. Infinitely creative and approachable in its humble presentation, this album should be in every modern music lover's collection.

explores the possibilities of what music can be

Rounds is a work of sonic bricolage. Unlike lesser artists, Four Tet manages to combine a jumble of sounds into beautifully-interlocking, natural, immediately comprehensible music, without any kitsch or clubby insipidness. Rounds is amazing. Buy it.

Fantastic album with benefits

Hmm, not sure if this will get posted, but:

I really enjoyed this album when I first came across it. I was into very close listening at the time, and was rewarded for my efforts. "And they all look broken hearted" is particularly rewarding for someone paying too much attention, the melodies of the strings mesh and slip in and out of synch with some jazzy improvised sounding drums. Still sends shivers down my spine when I listen to it under the influence.

On a related note, many songs on this album have turned out to be absolutely outstanding as background music for an indulgently long/sensual session of love making. Particularly hands, she moves she, my angel rocks back and forth, unspoken, and and they all look broken hearted. the music has excellent rhythms, is not too intense/grating, and flows through tantalizing progressions with ease. Incidentally it's all quite beautiful as well.

With the exception of maybe "Great Day" off the madvillain remixes, this is four tet at his greatest.

Electronic music is folk music

This album uses extensive samples of traditional/folk music and jazz, creating an intimate sound that swings back and forth between lush and sparse. There is a lot of abstraction and a lot of meandering, testing the patience of those looking for some sort of dramatic resolution in everything they hear. I find even these moments rewarding (they are reminiscent Boards of Canada). However, this does not describe the entire cd. Some tracks even qualify as "funky". I actually like these the least, but these songs ("She Moves She" and "As Serious as Your Life") have rated high on the include-on-a-magazine-compilation-o-meter, so draw your own conclusion. I highly recommend the very first track, "Hands", something I was totally unprepared for when i bought this cd. In addition, if you like the abstraction present here, definitely check out "Happiness" by Fridge.