FOUR TET Everything Ecstatic Domino **** As he gathered his maps and sandwiches and prepared for another Four Tet odyssey, Kieran Hebden was probably sure of a few things as he turned on his laptop.

For one thing, he never wanted to hear the word "folktronica" again and, for another, it was time once more for something completely different. After taking grand sonic leaps all over the garden with 2001's Pause and 2003's Rounds, Hebden sets new standards again on Everything Ecstatic, largely by showing that experimentation, innovation and improvisation does not always have to mean unlistenable electronic music. After all, anyone who can produce a tune that matches a title like Smile Around the Face with joyous beats and angelic glee is certainly doing the right thing. This album sees Hebden revelling in his ability to craft both soft-toned, gentle whispers of sound (the ethereal cocoon of You were There with Me) and turn out buzzy, extra-large paeans (the trippy, wiry Turtle Turtle Up, the rip-roaring A Joy or the psychedelic romp of High Fives). Throughout, Hebden's abiding curiosity about the very potential of sound makes every minute of Everything Ecstatic a thrill to hear. It's one thing to join up all the dots, but as Hebden knows only too well, it's quite another to be able to make sense of these connections. www.fourtet.net