Bibio

Summer, aside from being the hot season, is the playlist season: one for the backyard party, one for the drive to the beach, one for drinking on the curb at two in the morning, maybe one for that late night chat with the special lady friend. But for the extra lazy summer days when iTunes is too much of a hassle, “Ambivalence Avenue” is your one-stop shop for all of your summer needs.

After a series of meandering electronic albums for backpack rap label Mush, British producer Stephen Wilkinson, aka Bibio, has taken a turn towards the pop. And despite corralling sounds ranging from Brazilian street music to trip-hop to Jose Gonzalez folk, Bibio has put out a colorful and surprisingly cohesive album, one of this summer’s best.

For a producer whose output has mostly focused on heavy, introspective beats, the ease with which Wilkinson creates slower, warmer melodies is impressive. While the found sound production aesthetic of his past work is still noticeable, the increased presence of electric guitar allows the structure of each track to catch hold. Filtered through a resonating old gramophone-type effect, the guitar acts sort of like sun glare, transfiguring the simple chord progressions and also making them perfect sleep music. “Lovers Carvings,” in particular, features ideally lustrous guitar work that gets along well with a late afternoon outdoor nap.

Wilkinson’s real skill, though, is crafting the faultless head nod tracks that fill up the rest of the album. Through meticulously recorded and assembled sounds and synthetic beats, Bibio lands hits in an incredibly diverse array of styles. The title track is classic 70s Brazilian-sounding clap-along gold—the kind of song that you wish would follow you around all day. “Jealous of Roses,” the song that follows, runs through a similar vein, featuring falsetto funk vocals and an addictively choppy beat that is perfect for your “Shaft” moments. Also prominent on the album are textured Dabrye and J Dilla-type hip-hop break beats that, while not as catchy as the other tracks, do have bits of melody that seem to sneak up on listeners.

Unlike most of his past releases, this album does feature a significant amount of vocal work, but this takes a back seat to the beautiful beats that define the music. Tying together an ambitious range of sounds with a newfound knack for poppy melody, Stephen Wilkinson served up all of the sounds of summer in one multi-course meal.

—Staff writer Ross S. Weinstein can be reached at rweinst@fas.harvard.edu.