Electronic artist Burial doesn't throw dirt over the grave, he exhumes the body and unleashes the underbelly of its past. He is the Seismic Tremor-Lord, here to delegate a diverging bass line for us to mull over and feel in our guts. William Bevan reveals more in his songs than a signature style. Throughout his musical repertoire so far, Bevan focuses on the darker side of humanity such as in his album Untrue (2007) and EP Street Halo (2011) that, to this listener, tries to communicate the underbelly of society. Songs like "Homeless" and "McDonalds" are sonic responses to the ingrained imbalances we face today. Even the title "Street Halo" suggests that amid the dirt and grime of a city there is light to be found. This light is gathered in Burial's latest EP, Rival Dealer released off Hyper Dub Records. Burial maintains his sound and adds an upbeat, glorious tinge.
A crackle and drawn out hiss leads us into the first track "Rival Dealer." Using ethereal samples in the background of the uptempo break-beat kicks, Burial draws us into a hyper whirlwind. His earthy, layered sound is still apparent here, and the samples remind me of "Archangel," where he really began to take those snippets into consideration. Here, it adds a narrative quality to the song that carries throughout the entire EP. Our first character croons, "I'm gonna love you more than anyone" over and over until a great garbled pause happens at around 5 minutes in and Burial flips the vibe completely, another characteristic of this EP that is unique to his work. The synth takes on a plummeting, dangerous tone and inbox-reminders pierce through the density. Ending "Rival Dealer" is a sensual flute and porous synths that cascade and flow into the next song, with another voice that says "this is who I am" and "I saw something come down to us."
On this EP, Burial takes a few sonic elements to tie the three songs together: pauses, vocal samples, and associative elements such as rain and static. "Hiders" enters in with a heavy rain and an anthemic voice singing "I told you I'd always protect ya/ you don't have to be alone" supported by a soft and vibrating arrangement. Again, there is a focus on protection, connectedness, and unity. "Hiders" serves as a bridge between the two lengthier pieces. Like a refrain, the phrase "come down to us" is spoken, perhaps a call to an extraterrestrial.
This is placed perfectly as a lead-in to "Come Down To Us" that opens with an angelic and radiant synth and sample "Who are you? Why don't you come down to me?" As fast as Burial brings in a beat to groove with, he switches up the tempo, adding an unexpected element, that usually would be jarring, but brings an elegant poignancy. This last track is a widely diverse medley and a little too sample-heavy, but Burial saves this aspect because of spacing and disruptive pauses. He uses the words as intentional stimuli for the sounds he's creating, such as "don't be afraid to step into the unknown" that triggers a laser blast and static boom. "Come Down To Us" has a powerful ending, as he takes an extended clip from transgender Lana Wachowski's acceptance speech at the Human Rights Campaign award ceremony. Despite the liberal application of samples throughout, Burial's intention is consistent and true, as Lana's final words sum up the hope, and light, in this time: "…this world that we imagine in this room might be used to gain access to other rooms, to other worlds, previously unimaginable."
Grade: B+
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