The opening title track off of Four Tet’s latest offering, Ringer, sounds like something that could easily be the new theme song for Knight Rider. Heavy, synth-y beats and a repetitious sound that fades in and out of the track every few seconds leads the way as this 10-minute track slowly unveils all that it has up its sleeve. Kieran Hebden, Four Tet’s sole member, has a way of taking the cold, intangible sounds of a computer-based instrument and making them come to life, giving them an emotional quality typically reserved for more traditional instruments.
Ringer is a four-song EP that is over as quickly as it begins but contains a few gems considering its limited amount of songs. To be honest, the opener is nearly my least favorite track on the CD, particularly because I feel it drones on for a few too many minutes, but the song that follows it, “Ribbons,” is a beautiful track that has an almost water-like quality to it, making me feel like I’m floating as I listen to it. It’s reminiscent of some of Four Tet’s earlier stuff or perhaps Air’s soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides and is a nice follow-up to “Ringer.” The third song on the CD is easily my favorite, though. “Swimmer” features a single synth line that plays through the entire track surrounded by notes floating in and out of the song, an incessant bass drum keeping count, and various other sounds playing throughout. For some reason, the calm monotony of it helps me step back and relax, even if just for the eight or so minutes it’s playing through my headphones.
The CD ends with “Wing Body Wing,” a song that starts off with cacophonous drumbeats and then leads into an almost jungle-sounding sequence of sounds that, as funny as it may be, reminds me of something off of Donkey Kong Country. It’s in my mind the weakest of the tracks due to its repetitiveness and lack of real substance, but it marks the end of an overall reasonably strong release by an incredibly talented musician.
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