This Week

Review: Some two years after his last LP, Bibio is back with Warp unfurling more of his tape-warped wisdom for those more reflective moments in your life. It's a mellow affair at nearly every turn, from the distant shoegaze malaise of "Dye The Water Green" to the purposefully MOR folk of "Raincoat", but there's still some cheeky fun to be had in between the more introverted spells on Silver Wilkinson. For example "You" gets busy with radio-busting vocal and orchestral snippets with an end result that feels compatible with the more imaginative corners of mainstream hip hop and R&B production. Really though, listening to Bibio is all about getting wrapped up in the pastoral dreamworld he inhabits, where songs can be songs, singers can be singers and sound sources can come from anywhere.

Review: An Ambassador For Laing sees the Edinburgh-based duo of Marc Dall and Alex Ander further explore their new sound as Dalhous, having previously surfaced with film score influenced gothic pop under the Young Hunting moniker. As Dalhous, the pair has traded in the Young Hunting sound which perhaps sounded a bit too close to Blackest Ever Black label mates Raime for an approach more explicitly concerned with lurching industrial rhythms and sweeping orchestral vistas. Across the eleven tracks on the album, Dalhous explore soundscapes that feel dreamlike yet there's always a sensation matters could take a wholly more foreboding turn at any moment. Standout moments include the bristling instrumental beats of "Who's Here You're Here I'm Here..." and the hazed out finger snaps of "The Cruel Practice Of Art". Overall the album marks another compelling entrant into the Blackest Ever Black canon.

Review: The ultra-magnetic, ultra-talented trio, Factory Floor, team up with Peter Gordon for their second release on the sublime Optimo Music. Gordon is one of those guys who can play just about anything and "Beachcombing" is one of those sultry synth rides that'll leave your brain melted on the side of the subwoofer - aided herein by the additional contributions of Gabriel Gurnsey and Nik Kolk Void - now that's a package! The ride is majestic as it is dark and mysterious, with waves of polyphony wrapped all over its ominous and crumbling arrangement - a marvel! "C Side" features Dominic Butler and takes a slightly lighter approach to things, combining a crooked half-step slant to more cheery pastures - a field of sax melodies and cascading synth bleeps! CHECK!