What Are You Listening To?

[JonG]

I like many, many things. First, I've been a fan of Four Tet for years and own some of his previous work. I expected to like it going in. I like dance music, and while this album works for home listening it is dance music. I'll wager you don't favor dance music. Four Tet tested every one of these songs at a club he had a residency at during the making of the album. I like the sounds he uses to build his tracks - the static, crackles, snippets of voice, etc. And, without gushing on for too much longer, I love the rhythm of his work. This kind of music is meant to give a physical response first, then emotional, then maybe mental.

I think most people who don't respond to dance music prefer to think about the music instead of just react. They want lyrics that paint pictures in their mind. When there are no lyrics to focus on they have trouble approaching the music. Lacking vocals (such as with most classical and much jazz) they want complex music with much variation. Again, this music appeals to the mind first and the body second.

I rarely pay attention to lyrics myself. The vocals are just another instrument. Don't get me wrong, I love the human singing voice. But I don't need to be told a story through words in each song.