41 Longfield Street Late '80s

Kieran Hebden, the electronic musician and producer best known as Four Tet, first collaborated with boundaryless guitarist William Tyler remotely, resulting in a breakbeat-driven interpretation of "Darkness, Darkness" by the Youngbloods. The two artists booked time in a Los Angeles studio and recorded material together, then Hebden gradually tinkered with it for a couple of years, with Tyler sometimes adding overdubs and additional sounds. When the two first began talking, they bonded over a familiarity with 80s country and folk music, as both their fathers were fans of Americana during that time period -- in fact, Tylers parents worked as songwriters in Nashville. 41 Longfield Street Late 80s is informed by this nostalgia, but its also a forward-thinking record that pushes its influences into another realm. The opening track is an 11-minute interpretation of Lyle Lovetts song "If I Had a Boat," which starts out as a storm of distorted space rock guitar sprinkled with acoustic notes. Eventually, the noisier guitar abruptly clears out, and the lovely acoustic guitar melody fully blooms. The song continues to stretch outward, with Tylers electronically altered guitar mingling with angular synth pulsations. "Spider Ballad" comes closest to sounding like Four Tet in club mode, with filtered guitar notes grounded by a thumping, unwavering kick drum. "When It Rains" is primarily acoustic and intimate, focusing on crying slide guitar, though it ends up slowly unraveling, and by the time it concludes, its become engulfed in unhinged feedback. "Timber" consists of delicate acoustic guitar patterns that later approximate a gentle rain. The finale "Secret City" beautifully layers several gliding guitar textures, with a pleasantly strumming melody up front and heroic soloing beneath. Much like Time Indefinite, Tylers previous 2025 release, 41 Longfield Street Late 80s is part of the ambient Americana phenomenon, but instead of finding comfort in the wide-open space of the country, the album looks to the future through distorted memories of the past. ~ Paul Simpson

昨年リリースした『Three』の好評ぶりも記憶に新しいフォー・テットことキエラン・ヘブデンの次なる一手は、アメリカのギタリストであるウィリアム・タイラーとのコラボ。同世代の彼らが深い繋がりを感じているカントリー・ミュージックにインスピレーションを得て制作された内容には、冒頭のライル・ラヴェットのカヴァーに象徴されるように新しさと懐かしさが同居している。
bounce (C)藤堂輝家