Release Date: 5 November 2007
Song Count: 13
Duration: 50 minutes, 54 seconds
Rating: 6.4/10
Description:
Heading back to old-school dubstep territory, here is an album that is highly considered one of the most influential albums not only in the scene, but in all of electronic music overall. British musician Burial's second album Untrue is by far one of the most critically acclaimed pieces of music by the standards of how well-known music agencies have rated it, and is also often mentioned in the talks of what albums out there personified the specific cultural zeitgeist of the starts of the century the best. Considered an ambient-dubstep hybrid album with additional hardcore and UK Garage elements sprinkled in, Untrue stands out as a particularly fresh, different and artistically inspired work compared to the output of many other producers in the circle.
Non-flashy yet still magnetic rhythms and skipping drums chain along on a dotted path as the general direction of the tracks is directed by pitch-altered vocal samples, low tone-setting basslines and ambient tunes sliding in, creating a product focused more on a unified, laid-back atmosphere that yet retains motion throughout the entire runtime, rather than individual songs or snippets taking the attention. Reports from Burial himself say that the creation process for the music involved a lot of reflection and basking in the energy of the nighttime and naturally induced darkness, and the way these songs sound, especially the ones lacking in percussion that go all-in on the ambience (see tracks like "Dog Shelter", "Endorphin" and "UK"), very much reflects this inspiration. Any expectations of an outright jumpy or hyper sound like what is commonly associated with mainstream EDM and particularly dubstep is shattered, proving that that is not where the roots of these genres lie, and that nauseatingly high energy is far from a requirement.
Perhaps this one is more of a work that is meant to grow on the listener rather than impress them right away - a plausible idea, given the sonical nature of the music - because similar to the previous classic dubstep album we've looked at, the initial emotions induced in me upon listening in were mostly laced with a layer of boredom and a lack of interest to find, and only afterwards did especially the tracks towards the second half click with me a lot more. A few more whirls in the future and this may climb up in the personal ranks, but for now, Untrue is an album I respect for its external contributions far more than I actually like on a purely subjective basis. Even with that in mind, however, the appeal is very much understandable; it's the kind of set of songs that don't do much on their own until they resurface again at a very specific moment, such as a nighttime walk or an important life event unfolding, where they then proceed to take on a much more nuanced meaning than with an overly conscious listen - and that is perhaps an effect all music can have in one way or another.