Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)

The once secretive and unnamed london based producer ’Burial’ follows up his debut self titled release with the best album of 2007, and without a doubt, my favorite electronic album I’ve ever heard.

While listening to this grimy fogged up haze of dark midnight melodies I couldn’t help but realize how inaccessible it is to some people. Not everyone would dig this sound, not everyone would ‘get it’, this truly is underground music. But maybe thats the whole point of the album.

Burial is presenting a dance record. It has everything the UK garage sound needs, the skattering percussion tripping over its self, the deep sub bass that vibrates right through you, warm yet distant soul vocal samples glowing in the darkness of the gloomy sound which is keeping his signature sound from being full blow dance Garage. It comes off more of Burial’s salute to the now dead and gone, but not forgotten, genre that is UK Garage. Each track sounds like he is attempting to recreate one of his favorite 2-Step tunes from a half remembered memory. It’s foggy and hazy, it’s not all there, but it’s glowing with nostalgia.

Mount Kimbie - Sketch On Glass EP (Hot Flush Records)

Evolution is the theme of today’s electronic music. It the artist’s sound isn’t progressing with each new release, then you’re probably listening to Vampire Weekend. Scuba’s ‘Hot flush Records’ is the leading pioneers (along with Kode 9’s prestigious ‘Hyperdub Records’) of the post-dubstep movement, and one the top of their roster, we have the newly emerging duo of producers Mount Kimbie.

The ‘Sketch On Glass EP’ is short at four tracks, but each is a standout. As expected, the sound is comprised once again with skipping 2-step percussion under washing rhythms of synths and deep dubbed bass lines so low the untrained ear will have a difficult time identifying the note they are resinating. ’50 Mile View’ second half features such a bass line over a sleek section of ultra clean mallet hits. Mount Kimbie’s great sense of ambience and empty space in their sound are what makes the duo stand out in the scene. The focus is on the space of the sound to avoid ugly clutter.

‘Serged’ is the standout track of the release. The rhythm of the distorted distent synths and soulful vocal samples over the pounding dub bass line and garage esq skittering percussion make for a unique mix.

The Now of it

It's been about two months now, haven't written anything. I stopped writing reviews for Little Blue Frog because I haven't listened to that sort of music since I wrote the last one.

By now if you haven't picked up on the blogs underling theme then chances are you aren't smart enough. Every album I have reviewed is fusion of some sort. You wont find anything purely one genre in here. I adopted the name "Little Blue Frog" from my favorite track off of Miles Davis's 'Bitches Brew' which is the ultimate fusion album. Although I guess you could say all of today's music is fusion when you look back far enough. And I would say fuck you.

Anyway, within the past two months I have been listening to an abundance of electronic UK based music. There has been a lot of Post-Dubstep, IDM and Future Garage (the new love of my life). I can't even remember the last time I heard a guitar that wasn't so drenched in effects that you could even tell it was a guitar you were hearing.

I want to continue the blog because I have came so far, but my currents musical interests don't fit the theme. There's a possibility in creating a whole new electronic based blog. I'll keep you posted.