Bibio – Mind Bokeh

Bibio's second album for Warp plays out very much as as a companion piece to 2009's impressively diverse Ambivalence Avenue, with evocative instrumental loops, unquantized beats and charmingly homebrewed electronics setting the tone. This time around though his vocals feel more direct; less folky, with confident, sinuous and unashamedly funky flows frequently taking centre-stage, most notably during Take Off Your Shirt – a track which recalls the accessible dancefloor-friendly chug of French popsters Phoenix.

It's as close as Bibio skirts to the mainstream on an album that remains rooted in experimentation and sets up an interesting tension – it's rare to encounter an album this accessible in which can be discerned its creator's love of so many niche genres. Like its predecessor, Mind Bokeh is a superbly-crafted gem that reveals new facets with each encounter and in doing so cements Bibio's position in the top-tier of Warp's roster. [Mark Shukla]