12 tracks · 43 min
Like English compatriots Bonobo and Caribou, Bibio has developed his own electronica style that is at once warm, funky, and full of all things experimental. Following a few releases that embodied a folk/field recording blend, Stephen Wilkinson signed with Warp records, home of my favorite, Boards of Canada. The product of his evolution stands in stark contrast to his prior work: it is as if he has evolved into a whole new beast. I had a chance to listen to his prior album, Vignetting the Compost, which was released earlier this year: while it was obvious that he took many pages from Boards of Canada, the end result was nothing to write home about. With Ambivalence Avenue, however, Bibio has achieved something solidly original: he brought the funk to Caribou, Board of Canada, and Bonobo.
