Review
Earplug
November 2007
Many new records celebrate past sounds and styles, but few offer the feel of a genuine unearthed artifact — a piece of dark, forgotten vinyl aged in the soil. With Untrue, mysteriso South London dubstepper Burial follows up on last year’s self-titled debut with an enigmatic and lyrical bit of archeology that’s carbon-dated to today. Strains of celebratory club music float through an atmosphere thick with bass-heavy dread, cloudy memories, and vinyl snaps, as spectral, diva-like voices are smeared, shifted, and strung across barren space. This mood adds emotional weight to songs like “Archangel,” with plain-spoken lyrics taking on tragic depth. In the title track, meanwhile, lovelorn male vocals swirl around a skeletal two-step strut. For all the darkness contained within, Untrue’s vocal focus provides a contrasting lightness and delicacy, evoking the image of a stunning, sepia-toned photo close to crumbling.