http://www.mediafire.com/?e0ynzzhznhn





Bibio (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.

allmusic

A friend of mine has had this awhile and has been raving about it. Looking forward to hearing it.

This album is in my top 3 of the year, I love how vaired yet cohesive it is.

Can't believe the dude's from Wolverhampton, like 20 mins away from where I study....

You all need to listen to this

It's definitely varied, but I'm not so sure about the cohesive part.

It's plenty enjoyable, though, and definitely miles better than the only other thing I'd previously heard by him, his first album Fi.

Yeah, I listened to Fi whenever the hell it came out because of the Boards of Canada comparisons. And it definitely sounded like 40% of what makes that act's music fantastic and not much else.

Maybe I'll check this new one out. Interested to see how much better he's gotten.

I just got this about a week ago. But, I still haven't listened to it. (Right now I have 48 new albums I haven't listened to yet.) Looking forward to getting to this.

Good record. Definitely not the most cohesive, but the songs are good.

My first few listens to this were nothing spectacular, but the more I listen now, the more I want to keep listening.

Fantastic record. I honestly do not hear the BoC comparison.

Those comparisons were made for an album that came out four and a half years ago.

From what I've read about this new one, BoC is no longer the most handy reference point.

there are a couple songs that sound a bit like BoC, but it reminds me more of a folky Caribou.

I don't think I follow your logic. Are you saying that we should never draw comparisons between new albums and albums from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, or 90's?

if i may speak for paves, i think he means that the band has changed directions with this album, whereas previously they took inspiration from Boards of Canada. they have expanded their sound.

for what its worth, I don't any BoC influence on FI anyway. i like that album though.

I would describe this music like this, and avoid using the word folk, because I wouldn't have listened to it if I saw the word folk next to it:

Funk-psych-acoustic-IDM-dream-guitars with pop harmonies and enjoyable song structures.

I'll be damned if the song in the youtube I posted isn't one of the best songs of the year. I would put it just next to "Two Weeks" for great 09 pop fun!

Haven't had this much fun with an 09 album since Merriwether.

No, the Boards of Canada comparisons were for Bibio's first album which came out four and a half years ago; they don't apply to the current album.

edit: oh noes vamos beat me

wow. I need to go back to school...I knew I had to be missing something. Is it too late for me to agree with Paves?

what the fuck

gave this a listen last night for the first time and came away very impressed.

that first track in particular sounds like it passed through some kinda time warp and is streaming from a radio station circa 40 years ago. in that regard it reminds me of the painfully slept on last Pepe Deluxe album.

This is pretty much lounge music, only it's actually really good.

I did a remix of 'All The Flowers' off this album.

You can hear it/download it HERE.

Hope you guys like it

I've been loving this album for a while now. More Benoit Pioulard than Boards of Canada imo.

finally got around to giving this an honest listen. this is one of the finest releases of the year for me now.

this album has done nothing but grow on me more and more over the past few months. perfect for early in the morning or late at night, it's works at any time of the day though. love the depth of this album, how it can go from the ariel pink/beck lo-fi funk of "jealous of roses" to the dj-shadow-ism of "fire ant" to a nice mellow plaintive folk song like "the palm of your wave." "lovers' carvings" might be the best and most unique track on here. a really diverse and fantastic album.

Outstanding album.

new album is out
http://www.mediafire.com/?vmg6iigrdccycfr

it's not bad, though a tad long

i've turned on this guy somewhat.

how come

I never did!

i like this enough...just as eclectic as AA...but no track as strong as haikuesque (which was one of my fav tracks that year)

I have heard a few people compare this to the new Toro y Moi, which I have passed on so far. I am really digging this album should I look into Underneath the Pine?

They are quite different. If anything this would be like old Toro Y Moi. This is more electronic and chopped up. Underneath the Pine is cool though it is more live instrumentation and less computer manipulated. Upon first listen this seems more interesting and less predictable than the new Toro Y Moi. Though I have found them to be both good albums for different reasons.

i find it boring i guess. not my style.

love mind bokeh. (bokeh is a japananze word for the aesthetic quality of the blur found in photographs) i think the opening and closing tracks really hit the mark, hard.

The last song is the highlight. Beautiful stuff.

"Take Off His Shirt" seems to be an attempt at a Phoenix song or something, it was the one that got me most excited hearing the sampler but now with the full album it just seems out of place. That and it's fairly ordinary.

I keep coming back to Mind Bokeh. I find this a solid album that for some odd reason was snubbed by p4k. Some standouts for me have been pretentious, wake up!, more excuses, feminine eye. I love the way he merges hip-hop electronica with low-fi pop seamlessly. If you really listen you can hear samples from boards of canada and the gentlemen losers on some tracks, which are interesting choices.

Actually they haven't even reviewed it yet and they won't do so until it is released on Monday.