Ambivalence Avenue

Illustrator: David Foldvari.
Bibio (aka Stephen Wilkinson), who impressed in early 2009 with the lovely VIGNETTING THE COMPOST, raised the bar just a few months later with his second full-length that year, AMBIVALENCE AVENUE. This, his debut release for Warp records, is markedly different than what came before it; its mix of breezy pop and creatively layered instrumental hip-hop sitting comfortably between a couple of other Warp residents, Grizzly Bear and Flying Lotus. While Bibio's signature nostalgic haze still floats over these songs, they sound far more active and clearly recorded than his previous work. Even the songs that could have appeared on VIGNETTING THE COMPOST, such as the fragile folk of "Abrasion" and the languid pop of "Haikuesque (The Way She Laughs)," have a more immediate feel despite their delicacy.