Alberto the Frog wrote:
Earlier EC suggested that 'Burial' could knock out 100 of these records a year, and this was taken (and intended?) as an insult.
It wasn't an insult. It is just how I feel about this music - it is the same way I felt about those rock tunes in Baywatch, each of them sounded like it was written and recorded within an hour by professional musicians. One of them played Typical Rock Riff, another Typical Rock Beat and so on. I only about 4-5 Burial songs but I can't hear anything that would be good/interesting/innovating about them. It sounds like music that was around for years. If that guys spends one week thinking whether he should use a saxophone sample once or twice during a song, so be it, but I say that his music wouldn't be worse or better if would go with three sax samples right away. And there isn't that much going on in his tunes either. I just can't hear anything intelligent or clever there, it is just well put together relitevely easy listening stuff. It could be worse, sure.
On the form/essence thing picked up by Nebrly. Too me it is temtping to consider actual notes and how they are played as the essence and arrangements as form of music, but it is just too simple. However, it somehow works with my feelings towards electronic music - it just lacks essence/heart/guts however it is called. There is nothing there that will resonate in me - I'm talking about the feeling one get when listening to a great piece of music, trying to describe that feeling would be awkward at best and would look most likely stupid. I just can't get excited about the fact that samples used are really clever, or that the textures are really interesting etc. These can be value things in my reception of music, but they need a platform... These are the sauces, but where is goddamn food?
I consider Boards of Canada to be far more interesting than this (Burial) but still there is nothing about their music that moves me. At best it can be interesting, at worse annoying with whole ocean of not engaging music in the middle, and this is where I place Burial, and why I consider him to be Crap (to answer Tim's question).
Another thought about the notes being essence of music: Steve Reich music kills it, as I most definitely feel things when I hear his music, even though it should be "interesting at best" according to what I have just written.
Also, could someone post a link to music from the same/similar genre which is considered bad and not innovating, as opposed to critically acclaimed Burial?
Also, I didn't phrase myself too accurately when I said that dub step is laughable as a genre. All what this is music is worth debate a side, genres are always derivative to music, and threating them seriously is dumb. It just occurred to me that it is laughable that music which sounds like there is nothing new or interesting too me got it's own label, I instantly realized this is how it works everywhere.
