 |
MH-263 Bibio - Vignetting The Compost  Seamlessly amalgamating nature and electronics, Vignetting The Compost, the third full-length release from Bibio, channels instruments and vocals from a bygone era through a futuristic digital portal. History may credit Edison with the phonograph but, in truth, the first such device mysteriously washed up on the shores of England in 1876… playing Bibio. Vignetting The Compost is at once timeless and innovative; 60s-esque folk guitar and mechanic manipulations of sounds whose instruments of origin are less important than the feelings they evoke, layer upon each other with ease and intricacy. Just when you expect to hear Nico’s moan escaping your stereo, Bibio himself comes through with a voice that could have sung next to her on “These Days.” Truly, this is an album for the ages. |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reviews Summary |
| Some of Bibio's most varied and immediate work - All Music Guide / A beautiful, crackling bricolage of vintage sounds - Evil Monito / Bibio’s best record - PopMatters / Quite perfect - Losing Today / Bibio should have no problem calling his greatest - Urb / Beautiful, expressive pools of sound - The Agit Reader |
| Some artists arrive in a blaze of publicity, others slowly sink in through their stark originality and quiet persistence. Bibio fits snugly into the latter category, with his unique take on instrumental guitar music slowly developing over three full length releases. Bibio (Stephen Wilkinson) is one of those musicians whose stamp on a track is instantly recognisable - whirring looped acoustic guitar, pitched slightly to add a jarring slightly off feel to the sound. This unique and effective trick is at the centre of all he does. From this base he has jetted off on many worthwhile experiments over the years, weaving in his own understated vocals and layers of vintage synth sounds but never straying too far from this unique template. His albums are bathed in a fuzzy nostalgic hue that never fails to be both welcoming and emotionally resonant. Vignetting The Compost has a more spacious feel than previous releases. The loops seem unwound and less persistent, the keyboards take more of a centre stage adding a warm analogue wash. 'Bibio' was taken from the name of a fishing lure used by the young Wilkinson on fishing trips with his father, and this mixture of nostalgia and pastoral openness is a good indication of the feel of all his work, particularly on Vignetting The Compost. His sound is appreciated by many others and fellow sonic innovators Clark and Wax Stag have called on him for remix work. He also made an appearance at the Green Man festival where his low-key psychedelic reels were much appreciated. Bibio is unlikely ever to become a huge focus of attention for the masses, but you can’t help feeling Wilkinson wouldn’t want it any other way. - Music Week |
