In my attempt to find new music, I came across this artist from what else a commercial. The Kindle by Amazon has a commercial and one of Bibio’s songs is playing in the background. I of course looked it up online and the rest is history. What I was so intrigued to find upon listening to this album is that there is so much diversity from song to song, while still keeping with the electronic/experimental feel.
Stephen Wilkinson is actually the genius behind Bibio. While studying at Middlesex University in London he developed a passion for experimental music. Using modified guitar melodies and droning synthesizer sounds he creates an atmosphere all his own. I found myself feeling like I was listening to a hip hop album one minute, then the next song reminded me of a Crosby, Stills, Nash song. One artist that I could see a similarity to that we have already covered is DJ Shadow, however there are quite a few contrasts between them that I hope you all will notice. It just goes to show that there is no one real label he can be put under. I am all about music that can take you to another place or time, and this type of music surely hits the spot.
I chose this album because it has the song “Lovers Carvings” which is the one from the commercial and turned me into a fan. He has a few other albums from a few years past that I tend to look into this week while you guys give this album a shot. I really feel like everyone can find at least one song that they enjoy, and I hope you all enjoy this album as much as I did.
Suggested Listening: Ambivalence Avenue (2009)
Favorite tracks: I love the whole album, with the exception of S’vive, and even that song is not too bad.
I remember going over to David’s one day and him wanting me to listen to a song as soon as I walked in the door. It was “Fire Ant” by Bibio, and my head couldn’t stop nodding. Knowing that I loved hip hop and J Dilla he knew I would instantly connect with it. When Beth told me she was thinking about picking Bibio for her artist I was a little surprised, because while there is certainly music on this album that follows suit with her musical tastes, there are also sounds on here that space-out and thump. I think this is a great pick that showcases many current styles in some of my favorite genres of music.
ReplyDelete“Ambivalence Avenue” and “Abrasion” are terrific pastoral folk tracks and it’s so interesting how Stephen sprinkles them in amid beat driven tracks like “S’vive” and “Fire Ant”. While his sound is wide reaching there is an unexplainable cohesiveness throughout the album. Maybe it’s the fact that I like every song and the whole thing plays out like an awesome mixtape. Stephen took a more lo-fi approach on his singing throughout the album, the vocals come of dusty and muffled; “Jealous of Roses” is a great example, I also like the way he tweeks his vocals to sound like a guitar at the 50 second mark. I love this kind of music because it makes me wonder how much of it is being created with live instrumentation and how much of it is sampled sound and computer assisted. “Lover Carvings” is a gorgeous summery song that reminds me a lot of another current artist, The Morning Benders. Beth, you should check them out. “Cry! Baby!” keeps a steady beat but constantly keeps evolving its sound; making it a great downtempo song that doesn’t get monotonous or boring. The final track is such a great payoff to the album because it reminds me of two of my favorite artists, J Dilla and Flying Lotus. “Dwrcan” starts off with a Dilla inspired drum progression and glitchy stabs that are reminiscent of the music he was making right before his death; it seamlessly leads into a very experimental digital schizophrenia that endears me to the futuristic jazz-fusion that Flying Lotus is creating.
This album satisfies so many of my musical cravings in one sitting, it’s impossible for me not to love it!
I was honestly really surprised when I saw that Beth had picked this album for us to listen to. Bibio is an artist that had been around for a while, making decent but not great music, but then in 2009 released this album. The first time I ever listened to the song "Fire Ant", I listened to it at least 7 or 8 times in a row. It was like hearing a brand new, fully fleshed out J Dilla song, and with the man himself no longer with us, I was really excited to hear that Bibio might be picking up the torch (which Flying Lotus has clearly fully picked up, since).
ReplyDeleteThis album is a little all over the place, but in a great way. "Jealous of Roses" has a 70's funk groove to it, while the next song is one of several nods to the most recent Boards of Canada album, with vocals added. Along with the forementioned "Fire Ant", the other standout on the album for me is "Sugarette". This song blew my mind from the start...it's got a really heavy electronic beat, but the synth lines that go along with it are simply beautiful. It's got an extremely eerie, sort of dark feel to it, and then closes things out with some Flying Lotus-esque video game electronic squelches. I didn't realize that "Lovers Carving" was on a Kindle commercial, but it really is the best of the slower, guitar oriented songs on the record. It's a true testament to the guys talent that he's able to make a Simon and Garfunkel sounding song appear in an album right after a song like "Sugarette", and have it work as well as it does. "S'vive" is really reminiscent of the work of Four Tet (who everyone should check out, immediately), and as Justin says, "Dwrcan" is a fantastic closing track, sounding like his peers, while at the same time creating a feeling all of his own. I definitely like the more beat driven, electronic songs on this album the best, but overall it's a terrific listen. This would have been something that I'm sure Justin or I would have picked eventually, but I'm thrilled that Beth picked it. Great great choice.
As Beth mentions, this album reminds me of a ‘Now This is What I Call Music’ disc as Bibio seems to be a jack of all trades. I picture this album doing well the next time the Music Togetherness gang hangs out together as there seems to be something for everyone. None of the tracks are too aggressive or too slow and each of them remind me of another artist in the Music Togetherness archive. I do really like how each song has its own sound and lowers the probability of one getting bored.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you the title track does not do much for me and ‘Jealous of Flowers’ has a Motown vibe that makes me think it belongs on the Black Dynamite soundtrack. Although ‘All the Flowers’ is short, it still immediately brings me back to Paul Simon week. I have not heard his other albums, but this one and ‘Abrasions’ come off as leftovers from other works. ‘Fire Ant’ reminds me of Herbie Hancock week and has a catchy beat. It is hard for me to overlook the continuous what I call interruptions. The scratching makes it very hard to let the song suck you in. ‘Sugarette’ is my favorite on the album and is the one I think derived the DJ Shadow reference. It has very atmospheric undertones and the creepy robot voice and Super Mario Brother sound effects surprisingly do not bug me on this one. I find it odd the intro to the most recognizable song takes up over half of the track. I know this same feature really bugged Altantic when Death Cab put a 5 minute intro in front of ‘I will Possess Your Heart’. None the less, ‘Lovers Carvings’ is quite pleasant if you’re patient. Although simple, ‘The Palm of Your Wave’ has some intriguing and sharp guitar chords which make me yearn for this track to be longer. The best way for me to describe ‘Dwrcan’ is the soundtrack to ‘Super Mario Brothers in the afterlife’. The two sounds throughout are typically contradicting, but seem to work out in this selection.
I don’t know if he was going for this, but it seems like he was going for a win some you lose some strategy with this album. I would think that would produce more people downloading bits and pieces rather than the whole effort. Nonetheless, very interesting album and I have to say I was entertained throughout. The level of entertainment was the only variable.
Sorry Beth! Busy weekend! I'll post tonight...
ReplyDeleteIt’s hard for me to get into producer’s albums. Along the same lines as Thomas’ “Now That’s What I Call Music” reference, this album does seem like a compilation more than a complete album – and while some tracks are memorable and certainly enjoyable, it just seems all over the place to me.
ReplyDeleteThe title track is lighthearted and fun – certainly a summer/spring vibe going on. Great vocals, although I’m not sure who they are by. Into the second track, I’m not a fan of the bow-chicka-wow-wow Blaxploitation theme music that sounds like it could have had a home on the “Black Dynamite” soundtrack. “All the Flowers” seems to jump back to the same vibe as the title track. On “Fire Ant” I can see what David and Justin are enjoying – but it’s not my flavor I suppose. “Haikuesque” sounds like something that might fit well on an Animal Collective EP. I appreciate the electronic vibe on “Sugarette” and the singer-songwriter vibe on “Lovers Carvings” and the Simon and Garfunkel-esque “Abrasion.” But again, while some of this music is fine on its own, I fail to see its cohesion as an album. As I mentioned before, it’s extremely hard for me to get into producers because it seems like it’s always harder to find that thing that defines their music but also makes them unique.
This is an artist that’s going to take more than a week for me to fully enjoy. I apologize for the late posting once again.