A lot of music is created on laptops these days, and a lot of it is pretty awful. Kieran Hebden, however, has always been a cut above the competition - probably because he's a skilled musician as well as being a technology whizzkid. Formerly a member of the post-rock outfit Fridge, his fourth album released under the moniker Four Tet is an engaging blend of oblique hip-hop and languid electro-folk, with some Krautrock and unsettling female vocals thrown in for good measure. There's more ideas going on in a single track here than most dance outfits manage in entire albums, and while Hebden's noodlings can certainly be a bit self-indulgent, there's usually enough going on to keep the listener's attention. Don't try and absorb it all in one sitting - this is a subtle, absorbing record that takes time to appreciate. It's well worth the effort.

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