It is a sad day..

Over the last 3/4 years, Burial stunned the music world with some beautiful music. His self titled album and the follow up "Untrue" were very well received by music lovers worldwide. His ghostly soundscapes and beats from a distant future have a mysteriousness that appeals to many, including myself. "I'm a lowkey person and I just want to make some tunes" is what Burial says on his blog. Therefor he chose not to reveal his identity to the world. It's about the music, not the person on the cover of a magazine.

Our generation has grown up in a society that is very visually oriented. From the 50s onwards, music started to be accompanied by images of the artists. The introduction of TV music shows and music magazines boosted the visual aspect of music even more, making it as important as the music itself. In the 70s and 80s, labels and media discovered that mediocre artists could do well with a great visual presentation. Although the rise of electronic music raised a slight problem for the music media initially, as these new musicians were not performing on stage, in this millennium we've caught up and electronic artists are now presented in the same way as their 80s rock counterparts were. Image is everything.

Burial has said more than once that he feels connected to those areas of the music world that remain anonymous and image-less: the white labels, pirate radio, illegal raves. But the success of "Untrue" and a Mercury Music Prize nomination made the press and some of the fans eager for images.

Under the moniker of "investigative journalism", the ridiculous speculations by Gordon Smart of tabloid The Sun about Burial's identity went over the top. Burial posted a blog revealing his name and his face, bringing the silliness to an end, before someone decides to sell a picture of him to the newspaper.

Although Burial made his own move at the right time, I still think it's a sad day. It still feels like the need for an image won, and music lost, or should I say The Sun won, and music lost.

I already knew who Burial was from the start. Not his name, his face, or if he has a cool hat or not. But by listening to the music. Music tells you much more about the person than any amount of pictures could ever do. I can't say that I'm not interested to see an artist's face, but i don't need it to enjoy the music. In Burial's case I really did not need it at all. Can't wait for the next album.