Bibio

Unfolding — this word seems to be the best way to describe Stephen Wilkinson's Bibio compositions. The British laptop experimenter has become known for composing timid, ebbing songs while drawing comparisons to the much beloved music of Christian Fennesz and Eluvium. Blurring the lines between melody and discord, Wilkinson's fourth LP builds upon his electronic/folk musings, gyrating between modified electric guitar ("The Ephemeral Bluebell"), droning soundscapes ("Under the Pier") and dusty/rusty folk ballads ("Mr. and Mrs. Compost"). Utilizing the same song structures that make Boards of Canada songs sound youthful, Bibio's newest batch of songs unfold gently — guitars pluck as sounds drip from preverbal icicles, never crossing paths. As Wilkinson lends his vocals to a handful of tracks, the listener is left with a true mishmash of songs and styles that makes Vignetting the Compost as endearing and speckled as each mechanism it employs.