Bibio - Mind Bokeh

If only you could judge a book by its cover. The artwork for ‘Mind Bokeh’ is great; it creates am anticipation of woozy soundscapes interwoven with colourful pop melodies. To some extent this is what you will find within ‘Mind Bokeh’, however a few creative missteps tarnish what should be an album as equally impressive as its artwork.

Stephen Wilkinson has been creating ambient, folky music with samples and field recordings for years now, with each album a new ingredient has been thrown into the mix; this record being no exception to the rule. Opener ‘Excuses’ is a slice of poptronica which works really well, with all its Aphex-isms and broken drumbeats it achieves a pleasing balance of the unorthodox and conventional, promised by Wilkinson when he described the album as a ‘balance of the familiar and the non-familiar.’

However it’s only two tracks in with ‘Pretentious’ that things go a bit ropey. This six minute techno-house-funk track is so awfully dated that it’s not even ironic; it features a saxophone solo in the fade-out, recurring synth solos and wah-wah guitars that jab you on the back of the head - none of which being in the cool Ed Banger way, but rather the seventies cheese way. Whacking ambient drums and synths on the top does not make it exciting or ‘niche’, and I think someone needs to tell this to the man; ‘Pretentious’ indeed. ‘Take Off Your Shirt’ is an attempt at a balls on the table rock stomper. It works okay for the first ten-or-so seconds until you think to yourself ‘how the hell did I end up listening to this?’, shattering all continuity within the record with the hit of a cowbell. In trying to push the boundaries of his ability Wilkinson has found a genre he cannot turn his hand to, to the detriment of the record.

There are moments of excellence on this album, and these are the tracks where we get what we expected. In the moments where Bibio commits to making ambient, sample-heavy music, which you would expect from a Warp release, he excels. On ‘Artist Valley’ Four Tet-esque beats and ambient selections make for a delightful listen which twists and sinks into itself, to mesmerizing effect. The following track ‘K Is For Kelson’ fuses African High-Life with techno-house and makes for an uplifting and interesting three and a half minutes, featuring stammering steel drum solos and a plethora of clicks, beeps and squelches; showing that when using the right subject matter Bibio’s blending of genres works really well.

The issue here is one of mistaken identity. For Bibio to make the great music he is capable of he needs to stick to what he does best - chilled out sample-fests, which give something new with every listen, not rock-funk opuses. ‘Mind Bokeh’ is a mixed bag, containing a few gems, unfortunately weighed down with a few stinkers. If only Bibio could look in the mirror and see that all this genre-hopping is not necessary, he may see himself as a jack of all trades but he’s more a one trick pony. But there’s nothing wrong with that, I mean, what a great trick.