by Bibio
Shut away in a West Midlands suburb, Stephen Wilkinson has created an album that contrasts his experience from previous albums with exploration of new ground. Away from any 'scenes' or artistic movements, Bibio has been able to form an introspective and thoroughly thought through album. He compares the album to a new 'season', part of a greater whole but distinct from previous albums. The focus on an organic sound and greater use of live instrumentation is apparent, yet the eclecticism of his previous work remains.
Whilst many of the tracks were recorded entirely in the studio, Bibio was able to introduce a variety of ideas by recording outside that may not have emerged otherwise. 'À tout à l'heure' started life in the garden on a sunny day with just a 12-string guitar, MPC sampler, microphone and cassette recorder; many of the percussion parts are objects from the garden. Similarly, 'Dye the Water Green' developed most whilst Bibio recorded additional ideas to an old ghetto blaster in a brick wall shed.
Bibio aims to paint images with his music and words, often thinking on the music late into the night to visualise the developments for the next day; he says, "if I didn't spend so much time listening and thinking, this album would sound very different."
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