Bibio’s back catalogue is a walk through different grounds of experimental sound. Starting his Warp Records journey with Boards of Canada influenced IDM, flirting with folk along the way and eventually falling into ambient textures on 2017’s Phantom Brickworks, Bibio has always pushed the boundaries of his work. This year’s Ribbons album sees him committing fully to dreamy, old-fashioned folk.
“Ribbons” initially feels like exactly the type of easy listening, laidback music that saturates chill Spotify playlists and the mood-based listening that dominates streaming platforms but Bibio’s unique qualities come in the weirdness and experimentation that breathes through his pretty, delicate instrumentation. Bibio’s relationship with British old-style folk isn’t a passing influence used to add another sound to his canon, its a full-bodied embrace and there’s a risk-taking charm in releasing wide-eyed tracks like ‘Erdaydidder-Erdiddar’ and ‘Watch the Flies’ to a Warp audience.
This album has been made very much in admiration of nature yet through a tinted window of manmade escapism. Spending more time in the British countryside, walking, photographing, listening and recording has certainly affected how I’ve been thinking and expressing myself in the studio – recalling the beauty in nature and the sadness of seeing it spoiled.
Yet, Bibio could teach his IDM peers a lesson with the intricate instrumentation and skilled layering exhibited throughout Ribbons. Ribbons brings you on a whimsical journey to another world that you might never want to return from.
The Fat Angel Sings 