Untrue

Description

Much speculation surrounded the identity of Burial, the creator of Untrue and its predecessor, 2006's eponymous Burial––speculation quashed when its maker dropped the mask and revealed himself to be William Bevan, a fairly ordinary South Londoner who was just quite fond of making and releasing tunes without all the surrounding fuss. Such revelations, however, cannot quash the haunting beauty of Untrue itself. Released as most of Burial's dubstep peers were chasing darker sounds and heavier, wobblier bass in an effort to move dancefloors, tracks like "Archangel" and "Etched Headplate" take an altogether different, rather more serene route. 2-step garage rhythms are drenched with glowing, ethereal synths and vinyl crackle, and where vocals appear, they're heavily treated, chopped-up and pitch-shifted, until they sound like the coos and croons of a particularly soulful angel. Aided by occasional snatches of found sound and spoken narrative--"He's not hardcore ... he's not setting out to hurt people" promises one lonely voice, out of the gloom--it's a record that flows remarkably, a journey through a lonely metropolis that's both melancholy and strangely uplifting. ––Louis Pattison