The folky side of Bibio's music is always lovely, whether Stephen Wilkinson submerges it in blunted beats and decaying tape ambiance on Vignetting the Compost or lets the sun shine on it, as he did on Ribbons. Sleep on the Wing is a companion to that gorgeous 2019 album, and though it has a smaller scope, it's just as winning. A few songs pick up where Ribbons left off: With their airy melodies and twining violins and acoustic guitars, "Sleep on the Wing" and "Oakmoss" are pastoral dreams as captivating as anything that appeared on the album. More often, though, Wilkinson revels in taking Ribbons' elements -- lilting melodies, wide-ranging acoustic instrumentation, and electronic washes -- in different directions. He filters Sleep on the Wing's outdoorsy beauty through a psychedelic prism with the cosmic electronics and warped tones of "Crocus" and the swirling currents of "A Couple Swim," which echoes the mood of 2014's Green EP as much as Ribbons. "Lightspout Hollow," a collage of piano, birdsong, and murky production, harks back even further to Bibio's earliest days. By contrast, Wilkinson lets Sleep on the Wing's acoustic purity shine on "The Milky Way Over Ratlinghope," where the fiddle and guitar engage in a hushed conversation. His reverence for British and Celtic folk is clear on songs such as the delicately picked "Awpockes" or "Miss Blennerhassett," a jaunty number that feels like it's descended from the region's traditional dance music. No matter what direction his music takes on Sleep on the Wing, it's quintessentially Bibio, and spending more time with it is a joy. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

1		Sleep on the Wing
2		A Couple Swim
3		Lightspout Hollow
4		Oakmoss
5		Miss Blennerhassett
6		The Milky Way Over Ratlinghope
7		Awpockes
8		Crocus
9		Otter Shadows
10		Watching Thus, the Heron Is All Pool

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