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Turn left off Apathy Street, hang a right on Take It or Leave It road and there you'll find Ambivalence Avenue the new offering from Bibio.
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Bibio
Ambivalence Avenue
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AMG Review of Ambivalence Avenue
Heather Phares
All Music GuideBibio (aka Stephen Wilkinson) impressed early in 2009 with the lovely Vignetting the Compost, but he raised the bar just a few months later with his second full-length that year, Ambivalence Avenue. This is Bibio's Warp debut, and the label is a fitting home for his music: Vignetting's sweetly decaying sound bore the influence of Warp veterans Boards of Canada. However, Ambivalence Avenue's sound is markedly different than what came before it; its mix of breezy pop and creatively layered instrumental hip-hop sits 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. These songs are less overtly conceptual than some of Bibio's prior work, but if Vignetting was a spring romp through the English countryside, then Ambivalence Avenue is summer in the city: the title track rolls in on the sound of street traffic before trippy flutes and guitars take over; the lush harmonies of "All the Flowers" are half High Llamas, half Crosby, Stills & Nash; and the jazzy tone to "Lover's Carving"'s guitars and synths has a distinctly urbane feel. Ambivalence Avenue goes from pleasant to exciting when Bibio ventures into unfamiliar territory, like the stuttering layers of "Fire Ant"'s instrumental hip-hop or the eight-bit bleeps and beats on "Dwrcan" and "S'vive." Some songs are almost unrecognizable compared to Bibio's past albums: the excellent "Jealous of Roses" mines '70s soul for its wah-wah guitars, falsetto vocals, and splashy reverb, and "Cry! Baby!" starts as a dense post-rock swirl, then becomes a jazzy synth pop meditation. It would be easy to call this album an exercise in dabbling if the quality of these songs weren't so strong -- and it's that quality, along with Bibio's continuing flair for crafting distinctive atmospheres, that are the only constants throughout. Even if Ambivalence Avenue didn't follow so quickly after an already solid Bibio album, it would still be a big step forward for Wilkinson's music.
Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue (Review)
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Bibio reinvents himself as a number of different people -- Neil Young, J Dilla, Ariel Pink, bands named after animals -- but retains a thematic proximity to the idea of the persistence of memory.
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Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
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The debut release on Warp is sure to see Bibio reaching a whole new audience; the words ‘make or break’ seem to be hovering ominously over this release. Let’s try to ignore them.
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Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
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Marking the second album to come from Bibio in 2009, 'Ambivalence Avenue' is his first release on new label Warp Records and a marked departure from his previous sound found on 'Vignetting The Compost' which saw its release just three months ago.
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"Ambivalence Avenue" - Bibio
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via Warp RecordsBack in December and January, Here We Go Magic's "Tunnelvision" was my in-transit anthem. The song's upbeat, repetitious melodies kept me moving very quickly from door to door, a motivation that I desperately needed back then. Even listening to it now brings back memories of the snow, cold wind, and busy Manhattan streets. Now that the weather has warmed up and leisurely stro...
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Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
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Artist:
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The debut release on Warp is sure to see Bibio reaching a whole new audience; the words ‘make or break’ seem to be hovering ominously over this release. Let’s try to ignore them.
More >
Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue
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Deep in the forest of Warp land, Bibio has created an alternatively fresh method to publicize his music. On Bibio's Warp homepage, there is a forest where you can walk and listen to his new album Ambivalence Avenue. The album was recently awarded by Pitchfork magazine as the "Best New Music."What is intriguing about this forest, is a listener is able to leave his "mark." The interface gives you...
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Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
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Artist:
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Turn left off Apathy Street, hang a right on Take It or Leave It road and there you'll find Ambivalence Avenue the new offering from Bibio.
More >
Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue (Review)
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Artist:
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Album:
Bibio reinvents himself as a number of different people -- Neil Young, J Dilla, Ariel Pink, bands named after animals -- but retains a thematic proximity to the idea of the persistence of memory.
More >
Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
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Artist:
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Album:
Marking the second album to come from Bibio in 2009, 'Ambivalence Avenue' is his first release on new label Warp Records and a marked departure from his previous sound found on 'Vignetting The Compost' which saw its release just three months ago.
More >
Mp3: Bibio "Ambivalence Avenue"
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The title lead track ‘Ambivalence Avenue’ is a great fresh start. You can find honorable mentions...
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Ambivalence Avenue by Bibio
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Who: Bibio from West Midlands, UK.What: A new artist on my summer radar is Bibio, the recording name of the British music producer Stephen Wilkinson. Typically using electronically modified guitar melodies and droning synthesizer sounds in his pieces, many think he’s sounding part electronica and part traditional folk. I think its pretty psychedeliclly charged, mainly in [...]
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Rowling Was Right
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Do you remember that at the start of virtually every Harry Potter book there was the inevitable line of “Harry had only been back for a day and already felt like he was two weeks behind with work”? Well… I do, and it used to annoy me due to the fact that it seemed so unlikely. However, I’m getting that feeling right now. So, apologies, Ms Rowling. The truth is that there’s an insane a
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 "Ambivalence Avenue")
