PHANTOM BRICKWORKS (LP II)

Phantom Brickworks (LP II) is the 2024 sequel to Bibio's 2017 ambient masterpiece, marking a significant return to his most experimental and textural impulses. Released on Warp Records, the album eschews the pop structures and vocal-led tracks of his primary discography in favor of long-form, improvised loops. Wilkinson utilized baritone guitars and pianos to create a sound that is entirely organic yet heavily processed through his signature analog tape setups. The conceptual backbone of the record is 'psychogeography' - the study of how specific locations hold the emotional and historical residue of the past. Specifically, Wilkinson focuses on the industrial scars of the British landscape, such as quarries and abandoned brickworks. Critically, it is viewed as a darker, more mature companion to the first volume, trading some of the earlier work's shimmer for a more grounded, somber, and drone-focused palette.