Product Description

'Everything Ecstatic' is the fourth album from former Fridge member Kieran Hebden. The album sees Hebden leave behind the mix of folk and electronica that has graced his previous work and opt for a harsher sound, mixing choice samples, analogue squeaks and harder percussive programming. The 12" only single 'Smile Around The Face' is also included.

Track Listing

1. A Joy
2. Smile Around The Face
3. Fuji Check
4. Sun Drums And Soil
5. Clouding
6. And Then Patterns
7. High Fives
8. Turtle Turtle Up
9. Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions
10. You Were There With Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24963 in Music
• Released on: 2005-05-23
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Once again, Keiren Hebden--aka Four Tet--has set the bar high for what can be done with dance music. Kicking off with "A Joy" (doing exactly what it says in the title), the benchmark for the whole album is set early, based around a frenetic fuzz bass riff and a drum loop, interspersed with backwards percussion, it’s simultaneously uplifting and also terrifying. The following "Smile Around The Face" is another literal title, this time far more explicit in its positive vibe; more drum loops, but this time with a grin-inducing samples halfway between birdsong and organ.

In fact, the drums are probably the raison d’etre for this album; in the same way that DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing was a masterpiece of what can be done with drum breaks and instrumental snatches, so this album follows the same path, but on a less aggressive scale. The vigorous "Sun Drums and Soil" morphs into a jazz-tinged number; while a few of the tracks ("You Were there With Me" and "Clouding") are more collections of ambient chimes and noises. It’s redundant to pick a highlight on such a strong collection; just enjoy. --Thom Allott

Album Description
Everything Ecstatic, the fourth album from Kieran Hebden in his Four Tet guise is as demented, clever and downright enjoyable as anything to ever bear the Four Tet tag. Just as Rounds provided a new benchmark for electronic music two years ago, so Everything Ecstatic will, in its turn, redefine the parameters of what is possible within this ever-mutating, endlessly fascinating and incredibly fertile field.

Customer Reviews

Ecstatic Again
Kieran Hebden follows up the glorious folk-tronica whimsy of `Rounds' with a more energetic, beat-driven album in `Everything Ecstatic'.

The opener, `A Joy' sets the tone with its low, intense bass groove and pounding drum loop. The track then dissolves into a noisy, random sequence which is then sharply followed by the joyously catchy, simple melodic hook of `'Smile Around the Face' which does exactly what it says on the tin.

`Sun Drums and Soil' features frenetic drum bursts overlaying more shuffling beats, backed with Boards of Canda-style synth washes. It gradually builds with layers of horns and sax and vocal samples to a thrilling crescendo.

`And Then Patterns' and `High Fives', consecutive tracks, are the most `Rounds'-like on the CD, featuring a beautifully simple melody over gentle beats.

The closer, `You Were There With Me' is a seemingly insubstantial collage of bells, chimes and odd sounds, but give it a few listens and a captivating melody emerges.

The multi-layered sounds on this CD would be an utter mess in the hands of a lesser talent than Hebden, but he has shown a remarkable degree of consistency in following `Rounds' with another varied, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable record.

Electrohead
At first i thought this album a bit weird but it gets better with every listen. Live sounding drums and original synth sounds.Quite energetic in a wonky way Very good if you dont like your music too straight.Great cover.

A tad Overrated
I had very high expectations of this album from hearing some of Four Tet's earlier stuff such as Everything Is Alright and Rivers Become oceans. However the amount of quality stuff on thids album is severly lacking. The first 2 tracks and tracks 4 and 6 are very good but four out of ten just isn't that impressive. But then Fuji Check, Clouding and Turtle Turtle up are merely fillers so that only makes 7 proper tracks, of which track 9 just gets irritating only a short while into it 8+ mins run time and track 10 is just pretty boring really; I'm a big fan of minimalist music but this track just doesnt have the ambient magic of some of Aphex Twin's work.
Few good tracks, mostly forgettable. Get Pause or something by Aphex Twin.