Bibio released one of my favorite albums of 2009 in Ambivalence Avenue. That album was full of so many surprises, it was one of the most enjoyable first listens I've had with an album. Each song felt like it had been recorded in a different decade by a different artist. One minute, it's 60s pop-rock, the next it's 70s funk, then some Dilla-esque beats for good measure. That album is the best mixtape that is actually not a mixtape at all.
With Silver Wilkinson, Bibio has taken all of his disjointed styles and melded them together to create a sound that is unique to his own. On the surface, an album with a singular sound should sound better than one that is all over the place stylistically from one song to the next. However, I think one of the reasons I liked Ambivalence Avenue so much was because of how fun the genre-jumping was.
That's not to say this is a bad album, it's pretty good! There are a few filler tracks that kind of meander about, but on the whole, it's a solid album.
It's biggest problem is the greatest song on here, "À tout à l'heure". This song is so damn good, it really makes the rest of the album sound kind of boring. I've started this album from the beginning, and I've started it from random tracks, but no matter where I start, I am just waiting for this track to come on, and when it's over I listen to the rest of the album on a loop anticipating the return of this song.
This song is easily the best pop-rock song I've heard this year, and I really think it's gonna be tough to beat. When I heard this song earlier last month, my expectations for this album skyrocketed. But this song is just too good for the album's use.
I encourage you to listen to this album, if only for Bibio's unique style. But if you only listen to one song from this album--hell, if you only listen to one song for the year so far, do yourself a favor and listen to "À tout à l'heure".
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