No one knows for sure who he really is, but Burial is undoubtedly dubstep's most prestigious agent. And in a slow year for dubstep full-length records, "Untrue" is destined to mark 2007. His first album, out in 2006, was considered one of the year's best by many people (including myself) and naturally expectations were high, but after hearing "Untrue", it's hard to imagine anyone feeling disappointed.
It's fair to say that his sound is strongly identifiable. Suggesting post-apocalyptic urban landscapes where there's not a living soul to be seen, it's late night and there's only empty, dark and abandoned spaces, "Burial" was dubstep's milestone and marked its entry into adulthood. With "Untrue", we're once again taken to the following days (or nights) after the apocalypse, a scary and at the same time beautiful place, but there are also other aspects that make it more eclectic. For once, besides the fact that the beats are sharper and the synths are more emotive, the use of echoed soul voices, already one of his trademarks, is much stronger, with some titles seeming, for the first time, drafts of actual songs, even if these are blurred voices heard through a lot of static. The claustrophobic and imponent atmosphere is again present, but there are also lighter elements heard, though not in a conforting way, but instead inserted with a lot of grain, as if these were nostalgic notes of a time before the apocalypse, reminding us of something that no longer exists. There's also a very subtle narrative line throughout the whole record, making "Untrue" a conceptual work with strong visual suggestions, building a poetic universe to which we can't help but be immersed in, only to be blinded by its unique and powerful light. Coming from a place of its own and whispering the future in our ears, is "Untrue" an act of obsession? Sublime, enigmatic and moving as few other things, here's a fascinating record by one of the most fascinating musicians of today. (9,5/10)
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