Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue

Label: Warp

What a year for the UK artist known as Bibio, a.k.a. Stephen James Wilkinson. Not long ago he hovered just under the folktronica radar as a Boards of Canada acolyte. This year he jumped from Mush to Warp and spread his electronic wings wide on what would be the second of his three (!) 2009 releases. On Ambivalence Avenue, he adds fo’-real beats to a more rounded mix of folk-flavored pastorals, vanilla-soulful vocals, twinkling soundscapes, and the colorfully jagged glitchy laptopisms that have become Warp’s stock in trade. While his music is all based in electronics, Bibio is at his best when he homes in on traditional songcraft: “Haikuesque (When She Laughs),” the lightly funky “Lovers’ Carvings” and “The Palm of Your Wave” are the songs you’ll remember (and sprinkle your mixtapes with), while the corkscrewy “S’vive” and “Fire Ant,” as well as the Curtis Mayfield-imitating “Jealous of Roses,” provide sharp counterpoint. (M.L. Thrope)