20. Burial - Burial (2006) 41. Burial - Untrue (2007)

 Joint entry for this one as it doesn't really make sense to separate them. The debut gets a higher position just for having that 'shock of the new' feeling at it's release, although there's not much between the albums in quality, they are both great.
In retrospect I guess what Burial did was to popularize and make sense of garage music and Dubstep for non ravers, and indie types. The genius of the way he did this, was that it was heartfelt, uncomplicated and didn't at all water down the original jungle and garage scenes that had inspired him. What were club tracks had become private songs, allowing scene outsiders to glimpse the rave through a gauzy canvas. Although Burials songs are wordless, snippets of R&B, film samples or Dancehall lyrics often peek through, guiding your feelings, but unable to express the words required. The track titles add to the image of the outside observer seeking redemption through rave, 'Archangel', 'Homeless', 'Night Bus', 'Gutted'.

In one of Burials only interviews, he mentions being too young for raves during the jungle era, and having to listen to his older brother play tunes through his bedroom wall. It's this yearning melancholy, mixed with raver euphoria which comes across in Burials music. Like watching older boys play in the streets, desperate to join them, but only able to watch through rain splattered windows; or hearing a party you cannot attend from an adjacent room. Burial achieves the effect of disconnect by using sound-system effects, echo and reverb as walls of sound. Tracks gently crackle throughout, reminding of rain and old records. He gets the old school sound by non-quantizing the beats, which had gradually become more brutal and militaristic in the tech-step era, this meant programming each beat without a grid, giving a non perfect, human feel.


Of course, all of this has since become common in electronic music, to the point which some of the motifs have become tired. Still it is rare in music that an artist changes trends to the point where there is a clear before and after, which you can definitely say about Burial. Merely one year later there was sound-a-likes aplenty, both within dubstep and creeping into pop. Hyperdub's massive influence over electronic sound in the last 10 years was all kick started by these records.

Since these recordings Burial has released a run of masterful lengthy 12"s. Each expanding into unexplored areas of longform prog garage, touching on areas of deep soul and epic pop. Burial has recently stated that his music has an anti bullying message, which fits among the outsider rising up vibe in his work. Burial remains one of the most interesting artists currently working. Keep watching.