Bibio ‎– Ambivalence Avenue

I wonder how many Kindles were sold off the back of 'Lovers' Carvings' LOL

With AMBIVALENCE AVENUE, Bibio makes the move to Warp, with a slight change in sound. There's much more of a percussive element on the title track, and... is that funk I hear on "Jealous of Roses"? Has he been collaborating with Jamie Lidell? Did Scott Herren fist bump him for "Fire Ant" and "Sugarette"? Fear not, though, the lo-fi folk loops still persist: he sings and strums his way through "All the Flowers" and "Haikuesque (When She Laughs)." But overall, there's a disconnect between his 'old' style and the newer ones. "S'vive" goes pure crazy, which is then followed by the delicate "The Palm of Your Wave." Thankfully, "Lovers' Carvings" bridges that, starting with the sunny sweetness one can expect of Bibio before swinging into a soft pop tune. The final track, "Dwrcan," moves into abstraction. A definite change for Bibio, one that needs to be smoothed out a bit, perhaps.

Relatively new to Warp Records bibio has already been putting out releases for Mush Records. But with this album he’s defnitely making a statement that can’t be ignored.
A wide spectrum of sounds that range from field-recordings and Lo-Fi to Post HipHop (as if J. Dilla met Prefuse 73; to be heard on “Fire Ant”), homemade Funk (“Jealous Of Roses“ reminds me of that Sly Stone produced 45 Little Sister “Stanga” from 1970 somehow), 60s reminiscent vocal harmonies a la Mamas & Papas (the main and opening track) and a Neil Young-like intimate atmosphere (“The Palm Of Your Wave”) to Pentangle (is there actually a Pentangle-sample in one of the songs?) to indierock and pop music (somehow present in a lot of the tracks) and not to forget minimalist electronic sounds woven into the arrangements.
Guitar/vocals-only pearls can be found here as well as chopped up samples and all kinds of sounds recorded everywhere and nowhere (the way some tunes are sort of aprubtly interrupted by squeaking children or traffic noises is just refreshing).

Bibio studied sonic arts in London and it appears he pretty well learned to work against the sterility of modern musical productions. Not only through the mentioned sounds of everyday life but also by keeping some dirt in his productions - there’s some overdriven instruments used just in the right kind of way. A bit more than oldschool tape saturation sometimes, a bit less than bad homerecoding. Ain’t that just the way we want to hear things right now?

Fresh, frisky ideas and samples, vital arrangements, unique grooves from hectic to laid back, happy to melancholic, heartful, always with a great feeling for style. Not as predictable as so many other music has become.
Who’s able to tell what’s sampled on this longplayer and what’s completely played by the artist himself? Didn’t find no one yet and it really doesn’t matter much.

Bibio shows those that may have forgotten once more that music can have emotional value in different ways and at different places. On here’s some tunes that work in a club or bar and others that are rather made for home-enjoyment, road or field trips and decapitations (it really works for all of this and more I swear!...;).

Due to the broad sounds and the attitude of this album it found a diverse crowd of listeners yet. Judging from the copies I sold of this LP at my recordstore in Cologne there’s an interest in bibio that’s still growing by guitar- as well as beat-orientied customers.
I think bibio has not yet reached his peak of popularity.
The record is sold out now at distros and will probably grow in value. Nowadays this really is a statement about the quality of music when it comes to independent releases.

When I found the promo at my doorstep and gave it the first spin it definitely caught me instantly. And that happens to me very sparse these days.
This album is totally worth being loved as it stands out among the flood of releases. One of the best longplayers that was put out in 2009.

I'm looking forward to what bibio will be offering on his next full album.