Four Tet's 10th album, Sixteen Oceans, begins on the dancefloor, travels to the woods, and ends becalmed, invoking, and bestowing peace and tranquility.
With such lovely environmental textures, Sixteen Oceans makes it easy to imagine how warm a fully ambient album from Four Tet might be.
A little bit of a diversion from past Four Tet releases, Sixteen Oceans feels like Hebden is taking a moment to stop and reflect on his family, his environment, music culture, and everything else that made him who he is.
Sixteen Oceans is a sign of Hebden settling into his well-trodden niche.
A bit long it may be, but his 10th studio album packs a punch while light on its feet.
The view’s lovely, but for the moment, it feels like Hebden is sailing in circles.
There is more of interest on Sixteen Oceans than on 2017’s New Energy, and there is certainly nothing here that’s outright bad, but Four Tet is still stuck in something of an artistic rut.
Four Tet's increasingly ambient direction continues to dampen his appeal on Sixteen Oceans.
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