Cover me: Embracing Burial’s noirish dubstep

Pub date January 25, 2008
SectionNoise

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By Todd Lavoie

Let’s get lost, shall we? Lately, whenever I’m in the mood to disorient myself in some head-scratching sonic geography, I reach for my copy of Untrue (Hyperdub/Cargo), the November-released sophomore-stunner from the let-the-music-speak-for-itself dubstep savant Burial.

While the willfully anonymous English electro-experimentalist’s self-titled debut was certainly an impressive introduction to his – and here we are guessing it’s a “he,” based on what little I’ve seen in the way of public statements from whoever’s lurking behind the evocative moniker – dead-city tour-guiding, Untrue feels like a bold leap forward.

More inventive, more cohesive, and definitely more affecting, the disc isn’t reflective of a change in aesthetic, but rather a fully confident refinement of those artistic ideals. I could stay in these headspaces for days, but honestly I’d be a bit afraid for myself when it came time to emerge back out of ’em. The culture shock might be too great.