• Record Label: Hyperdub
  • Release Date: Nov 6, 2007
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 472 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 57 out of 472

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  1. PaulM
    Jan 9, 2008
    10
    I guess either you get it or you don't. Absolutely brilliant, hypnotic, otherworldly, beautiful...
  2. MR
    Dec 6, 2007
    9
    like massive attack in the 90s, this is the voice of urban britain a decade later
  3. giantroot
    Jan 19, 2008
    9
    Oh Jesus. Hype? No. It's Very Greatest Album of I've Listened.
  4. Will
    Feb 14, 2008
    10
    Why do inventive and inspiring BRITISH artists get such a hard time on this site? First The Streets, then Dizzee Rascal and now Burial. Is it because American music is so uniformed and boring as shit or do the yanks just have a poor taste in music? This is a mesmerizing album from Burial that plays as the perfect backdrop to urban living in the UK.
  5. RyanL
    Dec 14, 2007
    10
    I think those that are panning this album are just not comfortable with the format of the music. Maybe I'm wrong, and they are all just dubstep purists, but I doubt it. It is nice to see something a little more unconventional like this cross over into popular consciousness. That being said, this album is gorgeous, definitely more euphoric than his previous one. Archangel is so I think those that are panning this album are just not comfortable with the format of the music. Maybe I'm wrong, and they are all just dubstep purists, but I doubt it. It is nice to see something a little more unconventional like this cross over into popular consciousness. That being said, this album is gorgeous, definitely more euphoric than his previous one. Archangel is so emotional, track of the year, I think. Expand
  6. Sep 13, 2011
    10
    This isn't music... it's what I call Audio Art. or Art Music, or.... well. Anyway, what makes this album great is it takes you to a lonely place where nobody's around, thank god. Maybe one other person. It's stormy, it's dark and the underground tunnels are rather tricky to navigate, but you're having the time of your life. Shame the song finishes though, and you're back to yourThis isn't music... it's what I call Audio Art. or Art Music, or.... well. Anyway, what makes this album great is it takes you to a lonely place where nobody's around, thank god. Maybe one other person. It's stormy, it's dark and the underground tunnels are rather tricky to navigate, but you're having the time of your life. Shame the song finishes though, and you're back to your not-so-lucky real life. It's that brilliant amnesia you get listening to these songs making me have to give it a ten. Expand
  7. Oct 6, 2010
    10
    Even though it is classified as dubstep, don't expect any bassy oscillation of what todays dubstep is composed of. This album is a stroke of genius and was and still is a breathe of fresh air. Emotionally pounding tracks like 'In McDonalds' and 'Endorphin' will bring about sensations that are unexplained, tracks like 'Shell of Light' will leave you completely hypnotised. This cleverEven though it is classified as dubstep, don't expect any bassy oscillation of what todays dubstep is composed of. This album is a stroke of genius and was and still is a breathe of fresh air. Emotionally pounding tracks like 'In McDonalds' and 'Endorphin' will bring about sensations that are unexplained, tracks like 'Shell of Light' will leave you completely hypnotised. This clever arrangement of distorted sampling really gives every song a soul. I find it musically insulting how some user critics have shunned this album saying it's 'uninspired and boring'. I think its rather them who are uninspired and boring. Expand
  8. WesM
    Oct 11, 2008
    10
    It's like the beautifully bleak, manic depressive anti-thesis to Since I Left You by the Avalanches.
  9. LuisB.
    Jan 10, 2008
    10
    Honestly have not been able to stop listening to this album. I have forced myself to stop listening to it because I believe its becoming an obsession. Usually it might take a couple listens before I get into an album, this one from my first listen I have not been able to stop. Absolutely haunting.
  10. dezv.
    Jan 8, 2008
    8
    Very good album. If you're bored by all that lame guitarpop, folksy pretense and tuneless r&b/hiphop, this is homecoming.
  11. BrandonD
    Jan 8, 2008
    8
    I can understand why people wouldn't like this album, I wasn't too sure of it at first either. After a while, it definitely grew on me. Not exactly the best album of the year, but a great effort nonetheless.
  12. RobH.
    Mar 4, 2008
    10
    OK Computer is an amazing album. There is actually no filler on it. I dont know what album you listened to. And Dizzee Rascal and the Streets are both good, but Burial is better. I like RadioHead more than Burial, but Burial is deffinately some of my favorite electronic music I have ever heard.
  13. PureDavis
    Jul 30, 2008
    9
    Amazing!
  14. AdamP
    Mar 4, 2009
    9
    If this album could be any better, it would be the epitome of perfection, and I don't think I could handle that as my mind would explode.
  15. Jay
    Nov 30, 2007
    8
    After a couple of listens I can understand the attraction. We've been waiting for something this fantastic, but, I felt some repetition in some of the layout of the songs and wanted a different slant towards the end, I WANTED MORE. A few more listens I may feel different and see the simplicity in his follow through.
  16. Charles
    Nov 30, 2007
    10
    Album of the year, by far. I'm thinking I'll consider it one of the tops of the decade in a few years time. I can't remember the last time I was so obsessed and excited by an album. Awesome and beautiful.
  17. Peter
    Nov 30, 2007
    10
    This album deserves the hype. One of the best electronic albums I've ever heard.
  18. JoeH.
    Dec 11, 2007
    10
    The amazing thing about this record is that while it sounds like nothing I've heard before, it always feels like home. Somehow, without any real lyrics to speak of, Burial's music seems to evoke countless narratives. At times heartbreaking; at others full of hope. Archangel is easily one of the best tracks of the year.
  19. JustinM
    Dec 1, 2007
    10
    Gorgeously nuanced dubstep. Strong contender for the best electronic record of 2007.
  20. Bss
    Dec 10, 2007
    10
    Best album of the year, hands down. Forget that the drum tracks get somewhat repetitive, music is all about creating patterns for crying out loud. This is a late-night album - listen to it when you are alone in the dark. Only then can the mood that it captures so perfectly strike you the deepest. People feel threatened by this kind of creativity; it's new (and NO, Future Sound of Best album of the year, hands down. Forget that the drum tracks get somewhat repetitive, music is all about creating patterns for crying out loud. This is a late-night album - listen to it when you are alone in the dark. Only then can the mood that it captures so perfectly strike you the deepest. People feel threatened by this kind of creativity; it's new (and NO, Future Sound of London does not sound like this!), and it sounds a bit strange at first. It grew on me quickly, as it will to anyone willing to give it a chance. Expand
  21. ToddW.
    Dec 13, 2007
    7
    This is a great album, deserving of the praise it's been getting. However, it's not the best of 2007; it's not even in the Top 10. That designation belongs to the following: Deerhoof - 'Friend Opportunity;' Panda Bear - 'Person Pitch;' Liars - 'Liars;' Animal Collective - 'Strawberry Jam;' White Stripes - 'Icky Thump;' This is a great album, deserving of the praise it's been getting. However, it's not the best of 2007; it's not even in the Top 10. That designation belongs to the following: Deerhoof - 'Friend Opportunity;' Panda Bear - 'Person Pitch;' Liars - 'Liars;' Animal Collective - 'Strawberry Jam;' White Stripes - 'Icky Thump;' Justice - 'Cross;' Radiohead - 'In Rainbows;' Bruce Springsteen - 'Magic;' LCD Soundsystem - 'Sound of Silver,' and the best album of 2007, The National - 'Boxer.' 'Boxer' was a grower. I'll admit to not particularly caring for it at first. However, as of today I realize it's light years ahead of everything else made this year. Collapse
  22. MycroftW.
    Dec 1, 2007
    10
    This is one bloody spooky dance record.
  23. AlanR.
    Dec 14, 2007
    10
    Hmmm.... 13 reviews and its still 91. Looks like good taste is contagious. Don't let the prudes dull your appreciation for subtle music.
  24. AlexanderS
    Dec 4, 2007
    10
    A wonderful album!
  25. [Anonymous]
    Dec 5, 2007
    10
    I knew Burial would do better than his first album, but I wasn't expecting something this great. Nothing is better than listening to this album late at night driving in the city. Truly beautiful soundscapes with hypnotic beats.
  26. LanceT.
    Dec 6, 2007
    10
    This album is spooky and beautiful at the same time. You can listen to it while you are trying to relax or when you want to have a pick me up. It's quite wonderful.
  27. RodM.
    Dec 6, 2007
    10
    fantastic!
  28. PlatA.
    Jan 10, 2008
    10
    Dubstup ftw
  29. AaronM
    Jan 1, 2008
    9
    Beautiful. Filled with all the dirt, grime, and grim lovelorn beauty of back alley London. Speaks wonders about city life away from the rich and famous.
  30. IanM.
    Jan 17, 2008
    8
    Great album! I really cannot understand all the people comparing it to LCD Soundsytem and the like... "makes you want to feel like a teenager, until you remember the feelings of, a real live emotional teenager". And people say this sounds awkward and trite!!! Beautiful background music for a rainy day...
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Burial has concocted a noir-ish sound that’s as powerful as it is atmospheric.
  2. What gives this album more depth is the focus, the rolling symmetry and cinema.
  3. That emptiness tempts a listener in, and puts you in its place--you, in a sense, step into the record’s point of view. This invitation to intimacy is a powerful move that most club music is simply incapable of.