Eighth studio album from the UK's Four Tet (aka Kieran Hebden). Morning / Evening comprises two tracks that each run for about 20 minutes each. The album is loosely based around samples from Lata Mangeshkar's "Main Teri Chhoti Behana Hoon" from the 1983 film Souten. "Morning Side" slow builds around the sample to create a complex emotional landscape. Layers of synths, chimes and strings add to the melodrama, but the overall feeling is an optimistic one. Hebden evokes the feeling of an early morning sunrise as he blends different vocal samples together. It's utterly uplifting music. The "Evening Side" is the sleepy, meditative cousin to the opener. It starts out minimal in structure and unfolds at a more gradual and leisurely pace than its predecessor. Vocals samples are again piled on top of each other before completely dissipating mid-track. Formless beeps and chimes seem to mimic the feeling of falling into a deep sleep. Just as the whole thing is about to disappear completely, muffled drums come in and Hebden brings the song into house territory. With Morning / Evening Four Tet has given us 40 minutes of music that we can get lost in completely.

• black vinyl pressing
• original release year: 2015
• music label: Text Records 2023
  

reviewed by mathematical mystic 08/2015