Show me your friends

Bibio (aka Stephen Wilkinson), no relation to the Subaru, launched his first work by Mush Records following his friend's Marcus Eoin by Boards Of Canada suggestion. In Mush he released a total of three albums, the "Fi" 2004, "Hand Cranked" two years later and finally "Vignetting the Compost" early this year, just before the switch to Warp to release this second! in order for this year album, the "Ambivalence Avenue".

Collection

The "Ambivalence Avenue" sounds more like a collection than a normal album, that is there is an aesthetic consistency of tracks, but none in the style reminiscent of another in the cd. I believe that Wilkinson comes with great confidence and freedom because of Warp and what it expresses in the last few years in the wider electronic scene to combine successfully IDM, folk even hip-hop, without limiting his experimental concerns. Sharp guitars, complex melodies, stimulating compositions. The impressive array of cd combined with an unexpected coherence, and the constant change of style prevents the inertia of the sound. The smart recklessly Wilkinson knit from a musical form after another with apparent ease from electronica to folk and the funk to experimental hip-hop while seemingly contrasting musical styles, in fact united in one.

Everything reminds me of you

Everyone is here: In my favorite "S'vive", magnificent soul groovy strongly reminiscent of Aphex Twin while "Sugarette" the Squarepusher and the Flying Lotus  where in "Abrasion" everything cries for Fleet Foxes . In "The Palm of Your Wave" is in fact a heart braking, haunted folk with vocals of distress, when "Jealous Of Roses" is a 70's funky tutti-frutti with groovy bass, beats and resounding vocals in false note. The homonym "Ambivalence Avenue" featuring contrast, the cool voice vs deafening drums. In "Lovers' Carvings" disco synthesizers make the difference when they invade with afro beat percussion in the middle of the track.

Ave ambivalence

Bibio comes with determination and dedication to capture the delicate moment between sleep and awake, between dream and reality, this precious time and ambivalent. If one wants a disc for this summer that just ended, here it is.

 
8.2