Music reviews as I find things I like.

Burial - Untrue

Favorite Track: Shell of Light

I’m too young to be nostalgic of this era, but listening to the record, I can imagine what it evokes: an unsettling comfort, the ethereal in-between of wanting to get lost somewhere in the world but still wanting to be someplace familiar.

Records like these tend to be forum litmus tests of “if you get it, you get it.” It takes some effort to understand on first listen. The uninitiated might be confused of my wide vocabulary choices for something as (seemingly) simple as Untrue. Admittedly, I was in the group that simply did not “get it” at first; but this was the record where I moved from stereotypical Skrillex dopamine rushes — annyoing, but accessible — to stereotypical Autechre avant-garde stuck-up — not annoying, but much less accessible. When I arrived at Shell of Light on my first listen, the last minute of the track catapulted my consciousness into a distant but warm and somehow familar realm. I knew there was more to this thing. So I listened to it again, and again, until I grew to appreciate the intricacies of Burial’s two-step UK garage heavily sampled masterpiece.

Now, you might be asking, “Does he actually like the record, or is he just wanting to be in the ‘in’ of those who enjoy it?” That’s a valid question. I had to ask myself the same for a while, because when I had finally stumbled upon an electronic album that seemed respectable in the overarching music community, I was left wondering whether I actually ever really liked it or just convinced myself I did. Untrue for me was like learning to like broccoli. I used to hate broccoli; it seemed boring and dull. I would rather eat something sweet and sugary to quickly fill my appetite, and I’d always want to come back for more. But after a while, I realized that the sweets were kind of — boring. Despite the dopamine, I couldn’t go any further into the tracks. They were shallow, unrewarding, and all seemed to share the same 150bpm structure. Untrue finally showed me something deep, unique, rewarding for those who were patient to enjoy it. I never thought electronic music could sound like this.

The record captures the tones of the underground like few other things can. It reminds me of the late nights listening to dubstep and deep house half-falling asleep, waking up sometime around 3am to not know where I was anymore. It feels organic, the drums with a life of their own, divined by Burial’s production techniques. The last minute of Shell of Light might be one of the most somber, genuine, introspective, melancholy, hopeful, despairing, …

Autechre

• Abstract
• Existential
• Futuristic