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Mar 30, 2016 Web Exclusive By Will Moss

Bibio may not be the biggest name on the Warp roster, but he certainly is one of the choice cuts in any assessment of the legendary label’s line-up. A Mineral Love, the artist’s third full-length installment, sees Bibio focus more on his own talent as a singer. It’s a voice that matches the woozy West Coast aesthetic of his guitar lines, although even those sound less suited to their former stoned California nights and are now closer to ‘70s prime-time TV theme tunes. The keys on “Town & Country” and the sax on “Feeling” find a balance between kitsch and funky that is undeniably likeable, Stephen Wilkinson’s voice taking a far more prominent role than we have ever heard before. With more vocals and less in-your-face electronics, this is Wilkinson’s most pop-oriented record and a far more immediate listen as a result.

There are moments where synths have been given too much prominence, and the final product suffers for it. “With the Thought of Us” is the LP’s mid-point, but sticks out like a sore thumb with not a single sunny guitar line in sight. Instead, a soulless and unoriginal club-ready beat remains, almost laughably at odds with the rest of the record. “Why So Serious” suffers from similar problems, but at least retains the ‘70s grooves heard elsewhere. While nostalgia has always been a theme in Bibio’s music, it reaches a peak in A Mineral Love, switching between shiny ‘80s production and the aforementioned decade’s more laid-back grooves. It doesn’t feel as if Wilkinson has found which of these sounds he prefers yet, meaning that this record never has the consistency to be considered a great rather than good album. (www.warp.net/artists/bibio/)

Author rating: 7/10