Thanks Mercury Music Prize! It’s all your fault! He must have thought he was going to win it or something. Now other anonymous music nerds can’t dream Burial is actually the The KLF AFX Kode 9 Jarvis Cocker The Purple People Eater etc etc ad infinitum. Here’s what William Bevan had to say about his identity in a myspace blog.
Hi, For a while there’s been some talk about who I am, but it’s not a big deal. I wanted to be unknown because I just want it to be all about the tunes. Over the last year the unknown thing has become an issue so im not into it any more. I’m a lowkey person and I just want to make some tunes, nothing else. my names Will Bevan, I’m from South London, I’m keeping my head down and just going to finish my next album, there’s going to be a 12″ maybe in the next few weeks too with 4 tunes. Hope u like it, i’ll try put a tune up later. Sorry for any rubbish tunes I made in the past, I’ll make up for it. A big big thank you to anyone who ever supported me, liked my tunes or sent me messages, it means the world to me. Big up everyone, take care, Will (Burial)
Can I go back to thinking Burial is average now? Neon Neon FTW! K Thanx bye..
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
It’s all a front. I bet he’s taking the rap so that the REAL Burial* can carry on working away, safe from the distraction and frivolity of the Mercury Music Prize.
* Axel Rose, by the way. Chinese Democracy is taking so long for a reason, I reckon.
Is he not actually Banksy? Or Bertie Ahern? yeah, I think that’s what Bertie spent that 30 grand on. never mind Ryan Adams using Courtney’s money, Bertie was using his to make hot DJ records.
And you’re right, Neon Neon >>>>>> Burial.
But Laura Marling should win!
Neon Neon and Burial cannot really be compared surely. They’re both excellent in my mind. I kind of liked the mystery surrounding Burial’s identity and wouldn’t be surprised if Joe was correct in his assumption above..
you think burial is average? compared to what? what should i be listening to that has similar but superior qualities?
Just not blown away by it like a lot of other people. Each to his own carl.
of course, i was just hoping that given your fairly broad musical knowledge that you might know of some hidden gem that ticks similar boxes in what you would deem an above-average way!
my instinct here is to harp on and on about exactly what i love about the guy in an effort to convince you, but if i’m gonna do that i should probably get my own blog…
do u think this coming out of his will make him good?
Carl by all means. I’ll get back to you on that but in the meantime, extol away. I’m listening.
Whoa there! Steady on! A few things:
– Burial’s identity’s been known for months.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-real-school-of-rock-780693.html
BUT CHECK THIS OUT:
http://www.williambevan.co.uk/
Are we being had?
– Neon Neon and Burial? I fail to see the link!
– Burial may be a teensy bit overrated (and wrongly labelled as “dubstep” by every other reviewer, which baffles me), but he’s still very good. If it’s possible to compare the two, I reckon “In McDonalds” alone is superior to anything Neon Neon have done.
A thought: why the hell is Róisín Murphy not nominated for the Mercury?
[quote post=”1388″]- Burial’s identity’s been known for months.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-real-school-of-rock-780693.html%5B/quote%5D
Yeh but it’s only confirmed by the man himself now.
[quote post=”1388″]BUT CHECK THIS OUT:
http://www.williambevan.co.uk/%5B/quote%5D
I’m sure there’s more than one william bevan. one is a chef, one is a deceased actor.
[quote post=”1388″]- Neon Neon and Burial? I fail to see the link![/quote]
There is none apart from them both being nominated for the Mercury. I just prefer the Neon Neon album to Burial’s latest which seems to be a crime around here. So much negativity in the air today 🙁
well, i love to harp on, but i’ll try to keep this succinct.
firstly, i can’t really decide which album i prefer, but my comments pretty much apply to both.
i can’t remember the last time i heard anything quite so original and atmospheric. the guy seems to have created a totally new sound; obviously he’s drawn from a lot of different influences (which i freely admit i’m not au fait with) but none so much that they leap out at you. the darkness he achieves is reminiscent of massive attack’s ‘mezzanine’, but in most places it seems somehow deeper and more lush.
i’m a sucker for anything with an authentic air of grittiness to it, and burial’s music has this in spades. there’s just such a beautifully filthy edge to all his tunes, and yet they somehow remain crisp and punchy.
his use of samples is fantastic; in particular i love the recurring sound of bullet casings tinkling on an unmistakably concrete floor, and that ghost dog sample he uses on that one track really makes it.
i just find that both albums are brilliantly cohesive while rarely sounding samey. i dunno if i’d say burial blows me away, but i’m certainly taken aback.
Carl. nice description. I think I’m being too harsh on Burial here as your description of it reminds me of all the unique things I heard in it when I first listened. I just hate the way everyone was creaming themselves over it for ages.
I do think Untrue has great moments but I get bored of some of it. it’s a good headphones album. i think his best is yet to come to be honest.
Nialler, Your post almost seemed gleeful in the way it revealed that Burial was actually a Joe Bloggs and that might be why you’re getting negative comments.
I personally think he’s one of the most interesting musicians about at the mo but whether you like him or not, surely he’s to be commended for wanting to let the music talk rather than anything else…
Seems to me that he’s only outed himself because it was getting to be hassle remaining anonymous (e.g. The Sun and others were actively trying to track him down)…
[quote post=”1388″]Nialler, Your post almost seemed gleeful in the way it revealed that Burial was actually a Joe Bloggs and that might be why you’re getting negative comments.[/quote]
I was in a gleefula and giddy mood this morning which may explain my disposition.
i think the appeal of burial lies largely in the economy with which he makes music. it also has deep roots in a UK hardcore/jungle that resonates strongly with Irish beatfreaks of a certain age.
for me, Martyn, 2562, peverelist and shackleton are all doing (for me at least) more interesting stuff than burial just now. as are the Numbers/NSD crowd. and BassClef. all these artists are quite far removed from Burial’s very immediate and accessible “untrue” album which ranks up there as a great crossover “electronic/pop” album- in the same mould of Leftism or Dubnobasswithmyheadman.
he’s brought music which had relatively limited appeal to a completely new audience who weren’t particularly “into” the quite tribal producer-driven dubstep scene.
and he has done so on his own terms and talking a damn good game too. the guardian interview in which he said his music should evoke a tea stand in the fog in the middle of the night is as beautiful an evocation of an artists intention as I’ve ever heard.
so fair ball to the wee radge!
oh how i love this blog!:)
Fair comments from everyone I think.
Niall: you’re totally right about it being a headphones album. It fits with the whole “night bus” thing. the best IS yet to come from him. The next album should be amazing.
I think the website thing is hilarious – doesn’t everyone? I mean, funeral directors! Burial! 🙂
Clom: Peverelist and Shackleton are destroyers! Distance is wicked too. Not forgetting the mighty Boxcutter.
Carl: well put. He’s a master of atmosphere.
I’m really really excited about seeing Shackleton with Appleblim and T++ next week in Glasgow. Worth ruining my days work on Friday for!
Clom – Wasn’t really feeling that Appleblim RA podcast, did you catch it? Would still like to check him out in person though.
Niall – For sure it’s hard not to dislike the hype about the Burial album but some album has got to be ‘that’ album every few months, it just happened to be Burial’s that time.
As for the album in itself, it does it for me. I don’t think I’ve heard an album which evokes its geographical birthplace for me as strongly as this. As already alluded to by clom The Guardian interview with Burial is really worth checking out.
Ronan Fitzgerald also wrote a nice post about the album at the time:
http://ronanfitzgerald.net/houseisafeeling/2008/01/28/untrue-on-the-42/
Now onto unmasking the next anonymous electronic crusader, Redshape! Maybe someone who’s going to EP could follow him back to his Tee Pee after his set?
I really wasn’t that into the RA podcast either.
Didn’t really feel it went anywhere.
Although the Rinse podcast more than makes up for it.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/za5d4f
I forgot Appleblim! Excellent. Everyone who’s into dubstep should have this:
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=33160
Anyone heard Geiom? I heartily recommend his last album, Island Noise. Basically dubstep filtered through his previous IDM (how I loathe that term) style. Get on it people!
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=60415
Hey AstonishingSodApe…as regards
(and wrongly labelled as “dubstep” by every other reviewer, which baffles me)
Its dubstep in the same sense that Horsepower, El-B, Landslide, Artwork, and the earlier work of Toasty, Benga etc are dubstep. The music has been a decade in the making, the snare doesnt need to b ‘on the 3’ to make it dubstep…there has been a narrowing of the term since ’07 unfortunately due to copycat halfstep(90% of which is pretty crap).
Damn right on Geiom and Appleblim though, top stuff 🙂
Stop Press! Secretive figure Burial revealed as producer of meandering and dull music! (cue uproarious protest)
this is a fantastic burial interview:
http://blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html
lol (ish)
[quote post=”1388″]
this is a fantastic burial interview:
http://blackdownsoundboy.blogs…..chive.html[/quote]
Sorry Carl, was stuck in spam. didn’t like your IP address.
nialler, burial’s averageness is where we shall have to agree to disagree. and lol at the ‘double bluff’ theory. this has made maintaining the burial wiki article more difficult, not easier 🙁
ps colz knows the score 😉
i was fairly disapointed by both the neon neon album and the 2 burial albums. i would say flying lotus would be something in the vein of burial that is much better, and boom bip is way better than neon neon…
i am not supprised burial is just some guy (if it is indeed true) but if i had to bank on him being “somebody” i would guess moby.