Bibio returns, just over a year on from his latest album Ribbons, with a new ten track EP titled Sleep On The Wing due for release on June 12th on Warp Records. The release follows a pattern Bibio has established in his work; releasing a follow up EP after an album exploring similar sonic ground.
On opener, and first single, Sleep On The Wing, a gentle melodic theme is bowed and plucked, capturing the care-free energy and rolling countryside views detailed in the lyrics, which sing of hope in the face of something painful or tragic, and are carried by the softly bittersweet harmonies of the instrumentation. Its title and lyrics, inspired by a swift’s ability to sleep during flight, have also been brought to life in a beautiful video animated by Sonnye Lim.
Speaking more in depth about the track, Bibio explains: “Lyrically, I feel that the song has two aspects to it: The idea of being in the wake of a loss, and with hope, continuing the life of someone who has passed, through allowing oneself to be inspired by what they did during their lifetime and what they left behind, whether it’s the things they said, the knowledge they shared or the things they made. The other aspect to the song is perhaps more direct, and talks of escaping the city to find peace in the countryside, but the title is more a celebration of dreaming and the liberating power of imagination, not necessarily a physical escape.”
This release draws on a familiar range of influences from traditional folk, peaceful atmospheric soundscapes and field recordings from the natural world. Stephen Wilkinson (Bibio) once again demonstrates the breadth of his musicality, embracing a wide range of self-played instruments including the strings which gave Ribbons much of its flavour and features some new accouplements for good measure.
Pieced together over the course of last year, with a few exceptions stretching back into Bibio’s older repertoire, the Sleep On The Wing EP is a largely instrumental collection that exhibits deep atmospheric melodies as observations on rural escapism, reflection and melancholia. Recorded in Bibio’s home studio in the UK midlands countryside, the writing process for this latest EP starts in a similar place to most of his previous works, growing from a guitar riff into a richly textured soundscape one instrument at a time. “When I write a new track, I sing melodies (often nonsensical) trying to find words that fit the melody and rhythm, then a phrase might come out that sets the theme of the track. “When “Sleep on the wing” came out, it felt like more than a passing lyric, it felt like a title, a theme.” He explains.
As on Ribbons, the surrounding nature seeps into the studio and underlies the essence of his music as it unfurls. This new work offers an in-depth study into the instrumentation and feelings surrounding this past year, imbued with revisited works which seem as poignant as they did when they were first composed over a decade ago.
Bibio
Sleep On The Wing
WARP310
01. Sleep On The Wing
02. A Couple Swim
03. Lightspout Hollow
04. Oakmoss
05. Miss Blennerhassett
06. The Milky Way Over Ratlinghope
07. Awpockes
08. Crocus
09. Otter Shadows
10. Watching Thus, The Heron Is All Pool
