An eerily beautiful listening experience
Electronic music artist Bibio released his latest project Phantom Brickworks on November 5 on the Warp Records music label. Recently Bibio has gained a lot of recognition for his music having songs being featured in a number of commercial campaigns for companies such as Adult Swim, Amazon, and Google. Although Bibio is known for his experimental nature in his music, Phantom Brickworks serves as a project that pushes the bounds of left field electronic music, while also remaining accessible by providing genuinely beautiful music.
The first track on the album entitled “9:13” sets the atmospheric tone early with an eerie lo-fi synth, and a white noise effect that is reminiscent of a cassette tape. Although the song is very simple, it has a lulling effect and beckons the listener into what is to come on the rest of the project. The song is quite lengthy, as are most of the tracks on the project, sitting at over seven minutes long; however, it never feel like a drag to listen too. It creates a spacious feel that allows one’s mind to relax and wander as they listen.
The next track is the first of three title tracks on the project and it continues where “9:13” left off, but takes a slightly more experimental approach. The song first opens with what sounds similar to a string ensemble, but then shifts to more of a piano focused instrumentation. The song feels a little more abstract than the previous one, but still maintains the lulling ambient feel.
On the following song called “Pantglas” a slightly darker feel is conveyed. The instrumentation features thick atmospheric pads, which provide the foundation for the darker tone. Then lighter synths are layered on top creating a hauntingly beautiful sound. The lo-fi white noise effect also adds to the eeriness of the track.
The next song is the second title track and features a dreamy piano arrangement combined with thick ethereal pads. The song also has the same experimental feel to it and utilizes samples of what seems to be the ocean or some other water source. The song’s dreamy nature masks the lengthiness of the track which sits over sixteen minutes long. This helps the track feel much more relaxing and enjoyable rather than just overly drawn out.
The album returns to a less abstract arrangement on the next track entitled “Capel Celyn.” However the song is still far left of what could be considered more mainstream electronic music. There is a switch at the end of the track that has more evident experimentation. The song yet again features a thick ethereal pad that gives the song a underwater feel. It’s also arranged as a continuous loop, before switching to the much more experimental feel in the last two minutes.
The next track is the third title track and it returns to the more abstract sound in a similar fashion as the other title tracks. The song utilizes piano loops and airy vocal samples giving it an otherworldly feel. It also makes use of the lo-fi effect that are seen earlier in the album as well. After about three minutes into the song the piano loops vocal samples are replaced with a synth arrangement and a sample of what sounds like people out talking.
Another highlight from the album is the eighth track on the album entitled “Branch Line.” The song once again makes use of a looped piano melody combined with hazy lo-fi effects giving it a dreamy feel. The song is a lot less abstract than some of the other tracks and sounds more like a normal piano arrangement. Toward the latter half of the track the pattern of the loop is changed with adds some variance to the sound. The switch is very subtle and seamless and does not interfere with the fluidity of the track at all.
Overall this is a stellar album. Every song is beautiful and even the more left field songs are enjoyable. The album take listeners on an otherworldly journey in which they can simply relax and let the music take them. Although most of the songs are over seven minutes long, it never feels dull listening to the album. It’s simply an all around awesome project.
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