Bleep

Over 5 extended tracks, Burial’s elusive artistry evolves into even further immateriality and ghostliness through the nocturnal ambiences of ‘Antidawn’, released via Hyperdub. Perhaps his most introspective recording to date its extended intervals float seamlessly into one another, falling sometimes into phases of vibrancy before once again fragmenting into reverberations and broken speech. Lonely phrases emanate from the cracks between the intimate and the unknown. Whilst ambient in its outlook, concrete shades of reality guide the trance.

The liminal, nightly qualities of its first tracks, ‘Strange Neighbourhood’ or ‘Antidawn’ reside in no-mans land, with spatial references and a material decay encapsulating an offbeat, aimless sense of self. Cracked, whispering articulations, warped voices and an airy synth project a sleepless estrangement, with a grey drone streaming over stark rattles and gentle whirrs. Like in its following songs, ‘Shadow Paradise’ or ‘New Love’, occasionally the distant buzz finds refuge in melody. It is as if a moment of sunlight is discovered within the dreams of an insomniac, but bliss always fades back into the shade before being grasped.

As per all of his incredible work leading up to this moment, harmony is only real in its transience for Burial. Evidently, in spite of any initial footing in electronica and dubstep, ‘Antidawn’ evaporates any sense of genre. His capacity of storytelling using sound design - both comforting and disturbing - still remains dynamic in its movement.