Review:

on 2009-05-07 muddyfish_uk Said:

Where to start in describing an album of 'Untrue's' magnitude? Perhaps with an apt description of the emotions which the music evokes? Or a brief history of the artist and the enigma surrounding him? Perhaps the best way is to describe the impact the album makes as it crashes into your life.

Once in a blue moon and album comes along which completely dumbfounds you, reaches into your heart and tugs at the strings which keep it suspended causing you to recoil with the thought of anyone else claiming responsibility for finding it before you, so you keep it quiet and soak in its majesty in your quiet moments like an adulterous relationship.

If I come across as overly excited by this record then I apologise. Or do I? 'Untrue' is an incredible achievement, made all the more impressive by the fact that it is a sophomore effort and improves upon the ground-breaking self titled 'Burial'. There is no question that Burial continues to lead the way in dubstep and electronica generally with his revolutionary approach to the genre. How so much emotion can be conveyed through chopped beats and subtle clicks escapes me, but 'Untrue' is without doubt one of the most emotionally drenched albums I've heard in a long time.

The album commences with a brief sample (taken from David Lynch's Inland Empire) which creates a slight sense of agitation in the listener before easing itself into the majestic 'Archangel', where scything percussion and deep bass paints a picture of London in the early morning, immediately after the club closes as falling rain flirts with the puddles forming around your feet... It's easy to get carried away by the effect of it all.

The album continues in the same vein, interspersed with soothing pads giving texture and warmth to the choppy percussion, which weaves its way through the majority of the tracks. Meanwhile, Burial relies on ghostly vocals (often warped to sound female) to penetrate the mix and sooth the overall harsh effect of the percussion.

Some of the best moments on the album however, come from the more delicate numbers. The calming 'Endorphin' is pure heatache conveyed in a painfully brief 3 minutes and 'In McDonalds' takes a similar formula. During the disk's time in your collection there will be moments when you find yourself playing these tracks on repeat as you drift off into another world or simply sit back and allow yourself to appreciate the one before you.

You don't have to be an electronica or dubstep fan to enjoy this record. When an artist puts so much of his heart into his creation there is no way you cannot respect it and hopefully, in turn, permit it a sacred place in your own.





Rating: 10/10