Album of the Week: Bibio - Ambivanlence Avenue

As his first release for Warp Records after a five year stint with Mush, Ambivalence Avenue sees Bibio, aka Stephen Wilkinson, raising the bar on his distinct style of experimental electronica. Drawing from fellow comtemporaries such as Flying Lotus and Boards of Canada, Wilkinson utilizes sampled found sounds and field recordings, while expanding his pallet to include electronically treated guitars and etheral synthes. The result of this is an album that is difficult to classify. Dream-pop guitars chime over ghostly vocals while down-tempo trip-hop beats mesh with psychedelic sound collages. The album takes as much from DJ Shadow as it does Galaxie 500, with enough beats to appeal to hip-hop heads, but the melodies and song structures that ought to attract indie-kids. Perhaps the most surprising thing about it all is just how pastoral Ambivalence Avenue sounds; the feelings of open space and fluidity the album evokes is enough to nearly fall into ambiance, but those guitars keep it sounding like some Arcadian landscape. Yet its not exactly folktronica either, for all one needs to do is listen to the searing synthes of "S’vive" or the beat-brakes of "Dwrcan" to remind of how urban Bibio’s roots are. I’m not certain what to call it, but I do know Bibio has created a work sure to appeal to many and leave even more in sheer awe.

Listen To: Ambivalence Avenue, Jealious of Roses, Fire Ant

RIYL: Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus, Galaxie 500