Burial - Claustro / State Forest

[alan nagsworth]

So yer man Bill Bevan's dropped a new EP this week. Two tracks, the latter of which continues the trend of his most recent ambient releases. The first track is back on the beats, however, much in the same quick tempo vibe as the averagely received standalone track "Temple Sleeper" (which I thought was great personally).

As with most of the stuff Bezza's put out since the handful of EPs of long, sprawling stop-start tracks  like Kindred and Truant / Rough Sleeper (marking what I would consider to be the absolute unwavering peak of his already dazzling career), this new one took a bit of getting used to. I remember how cynical I was towards Rival Dealer on first listen - what's this uneventful cookie cutter shite? What's the fucking deal with the big stadium drums on Hiders?! - but after a while it finally sunk in and now I consider that to be among his most remarkable releases. So I squinted sceptically over my toast today when I read online that one of the tracks was another ambient piece, and I scrunched my face up a bit on the train listening to the rigid beats and a-little-too-on-the-nose vocal cuts of the first track.

But I saw merit. I've learned that Burial is a person who works and creates to his own standards, releasing what he wants when he wants with very little public explanation. He's cautious but clearly confident in his own abilities. He deserves the benefit of doubt. And sure enough, on repeat listens, the lovely little flourishes and intricacies of "Claustro" start to reveal themselves, and I think I need to go back and reevaluate my opinion on his more recent ambient stuff, because "State Forest" is really quite a lush track. Yes, this is a Good Burial Release. 7.5/10 from me, on first impressions.

Burial is fucking amazing isn't he?

[Twit 2]

Fucking love Burial.

[sevendaughters]

first thing of his I've enjoyed since Untrue. His last decade has, for me, been one long dry hump. The style he went into was a rut and he was being outclassed by schmoes on bandcamp. glad to see he's remembered percussion.

[Inspector Norse]

I'm listening to 'Claustro' for the first time now - as, admittedly, someone who's been less arsed about every subsequent release since he peaked with Untrue - and am finding it rather meh. Falling back on his own tropes too much; those treated vocal samples actually sound a bit cack in this context and I'm pretty sure he's just taken one of his own old beats and sped it up. And there are the slightly unsettling chord sequences, right on cue. He's trying, if I'm being generous, to present a fresh spin on his old sounds, but it actually comes across as him just lamely tweaking them a bit to sound slightly different from usual.
In a way, it has something about it, because divorced from its context it would perhaps be a quite startling piece, but the problem is that he's not really doing enough that he hasn't already done better many times over.

[Inspector Norse]

In the interest of being fair I'll say the other song is quite nice but there's a limit with that kind of thing isn't there? Not many new places you can take some ambient synth washes and a bit of crackly found sound.

[peanutbutter]

first thing of his I've enjoyed since Untrue. His last decade has, for me, been one long dry hump. The style he went into was a rut and he was being outclassed by schmoes on bandcamp. glad to see he's remembered percussion.

Kindred is stuffed with percussion no?

Anyways I'm not that impressed with this, his best since rival dealer perhaps but that's been a Surprisingly weak half decade

[sevendaughters]

Kindred is stuffed with percussion no?

Anyways I'm not that impressed with this, his best since rival dealer perhaps but that's been a Surprisingly weak half decade

Possibly, not heard everything. My patience wore thin with Subtemple / Beachfires. Hardly anyone can alter music twice in a lifetime though.

[grassbath]

Will have to check this out. I kinda went off Burial after Rival Dealer - not because I didn't like it, in fact I thought it was one of his best - but because I heard mediocre things about what he was doing and was kinda scared of being disappointed. Pretty stupid way of thinking to be honest.

[Cuntbeaks]

Burial can get in grave.

[grassbath]

Used to be this challenge on I'm A Celebrity circa 2012 called 'Bug Burial' and I'd always chuckle imagining ringing up Burial when he's trying to make tunes and going 'oi mate you're crap, four tet's way better!' Heh. 'Bug Burial.' He'd be well annoyed!

[buttgammon]

I'm really liking this, it's my favourite thing he's done in many years. It has been a matter of diminishing returns for him since Untrue really (I think he set the bar too high, although I really like Kindred and one of the tracks he did with Four Tet, the name of which escapes me). This isn't up to Untrue standard, of course, but it's a really captivating little release.

[alan nagsworth]

How the fuck is no one else in here rating his middle period stuff? Mate have you HEARD the bells chiming in Rough Sleeper? Honestly one of the most emotionally stirring songs I've ever heard.

[The Boston Crab]

First two albums very good, Untrue better to my tastes. Very formulaic though, not sustainable sound.

Mid period is the absolute peak by a mile. Truant/Rough Sleeper & Kindred EP.

Rival Dealer was almost as good if a departure. Seemed the only option to avoid recycling the same ideas.

Everything since then has been good but more functional bangers or straight up ambient.

Not heard this but always gonna keep my ears open to Burial.

He really should have released a third album with that mid period patchwork stuff, would be one of the greatest of the decade.

[alan nagsworth]

Totally agree Bosto except I'm definitely content with the way he released all that middle material in fragments. Bearing in mind he always used to release it around Christmas time and not only did it feel like a beautiful gift, but  it also cast a dim bit warm light on what can be a very difficult emotional time of year for me and many. It felt personal, like I was being spoken to directly. And boy, what glorious music to be touched by like that.

[Tikwid]

I'd always chuckle imagining ringing up Burial when he's trying to make tunes and going 'oi mate you're crap, four tet's way better!' Heh. 'Bug Burial.' He'd be well annoyed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygozAb_dPIA

[alan nagsworth]

No fucking way Four Tet's better than Burial. Fair enough Rounds is a classic and he's a highly successful DJ but Burial shits all over Hebden's windchime genitals

[peanutbutter]

Kindred and Rival Dealer are both are the 30 minute mark each aren't they? I'd say that's a guy who figured out exactly what he wanted at that point.

Untrue is AMAZING and has aged remarkably well, but that period of 2011 to 2013 was a wonderful burst of good (that Thom Yorke/Four Tet stuff was only okay) to outright fantastic releases.

Possibly, not heard everything. My patience wore thin with Subtemple / Beachfires. Hardly anyone can alter music twice in a lifetime though.

I mean, there's a difference between everything and his second most acclaimed release. Kindred's in the top 10 EPs of all time on rateyourmusic (top 5 if you exclude bullshit compilation things by the Beatles and Bowie).




Unrelated to anything, Moth is one hell of a song right? It's gradually became my Burial introduction song, I think, doesn't spoil a full listen to any of his major releases but gives a good idea of what to expect.

[grassbath]

No fucking way Four Tet's better than Burial. Fair enough Rounds is a classic and he's a highly successful DJ but Burial shits all over Hebden's windchime genitals

Oh god agreed 100%. Also chalk me up as one who agrees Kindred and Truant/Rough Sleeper are the peak over Untrue.

[Funcrusher]

Everything after Untrue is just whatever to me. Listened to this new thing. Whatever. I think the first album is probably his best stuff.

[Perplexicon]

Rough Sleeper is the best thing he's done alone - the last minute of it, so mired in fog and mist, feels like you're at the bottom of a lake at midnight. I reckon Ego and Wolf Cub with Four Tet are two of the most sublime pieces of music from the last decade or so. His music has always felt like a statistical anomaly, pasting together stuff that really shouldn't work together in such a haphazard way. His music sounds like nothing else as a result of his completely ridiculous workflow and if anyone else did it it would just be shit, but somehow he can pull it off and it's always a bit magical.

[Inspector Norse]

How the fuck is no one else in here rating his middle period stuff? Mate have you HEARD the bells chiming in Rough Sleeper? Honestly one of the most emotionally stirring songs I've ever heard.

That stuff is good in parts but I always felt there was a lot of faffing and arting around for little result he hadn't already nailed on the albums.

'Street Halo' I did think was ace.

[The Boston Crab]

Some undead cunts in the this thread.

[The Boston Crab]

Probably a bit harsh on reflection.

This is decent, listenable but not one I'll return to an awful lot.

[alan nagsworth]

Probably a bit harsh on reflection.

This is decent, listenable but not one I'll return to an awful lot.

Aye but what do you think of the Burial record? ahahahsh

[sevendaughters]

I had heard Kindred but just once, I now realised on a second listen, in that it felt like a 12" remix of Etched Headplate. Pretty sure he cuts the same vocal sample up in it. It's fine but I don't feel I missed out on his last ten years so much. Perhaps this is the rockist/album fan in me speaking.

[Funcrusher]

Wow, 12 years since Untrue. 12 years since Burial was any good.

[The Boston Crab]

If you think that you're just wrong. No debate.

[Funcrusher]

Nah mate.

[imitationleather]

The Rival Dealer stuff is the only thing that's really, really, really grabbed me to be honest.

There's an opinion for you, now fuck off!

[Twit 2]

New track:

https://youtu.be/l6yj4J7y-e0

I like it.