41 Longfield Street Late ‘80s

The common denominator between the soundtracky Americana of guitarist William Tyler and the club-adjacent sparkle of Four Tet is their quiet quest for a homespun infinity. For shimmering ribbons of sound whose unfurling conjures time-lapse footage of thawing ice or sunrise over a field; for simple, rustic scenes made more vivid—maybe even more natural—through electronic intervention. Hebden has said the pair bonded in part over their love for 1980s country (the album opens with an 11-minute “cover” of Lyle Lovett’s “If I Had a Boat”), though the effect is closer to something like a lost Ry Cooder session filtered through Brian Eno. Instrumental music for light contemplation, refined enough for the museum, grounded enough for the farm.

Four Tet teams up with the American avant-folk guitarist on a radiant, joyfully surprising album that folds together country, ambient, minimal techno, psychedelia, and more.

The unlikely pairing of electronica auteur Kieran Hebden with guitar alchemist William Tyler results in a meditative gem in 41 Longfield Street Late ‘80s.

It’s a collaboration whose announce caused no end of ruffled brows. Four Tet producer Kieran Hebden is a formidable electronic figure, while William Tyler

Lyle Lovett meets brain-scouring distortion on the electronic musician’s surprisingly un-nostalgic collaboration with former Lambchop guitarist Tyler