The first iteration of Mission of Burma, 1979-83, was an incredibly acclaimed and influential one, as they basically helped define the ‘art-punk’ sound, with a legacy that lasted right on through their 2002 reunion. In the decade since then, however, their new material has not only suffered from the overhang of the shadow of their old, but has also just declined over the years. Latest Unsound, their first since leaving Matador Records, is their weakest yet, as it attempts to bring in the lo-fi, distorted, and disjointed sounds of the kids today.
Admittedly, Mission of Burma’s prior record, The Sound, The Speed, The Light (QRO review), just sounded like run-of-the-mill MoB, and the group has responded to that by venturing out. Unfortunately, their art-punk sound was always a precarious thing, as it could have easily become aggressive, pretentious noise – maybe what’s so impressive is that it hasn’t until now. From disjointed opening single “Dust Devils” to distorted rock-wail instrumental jam closer “Opener” (at least the group hasn’t lost the knack for ironic titles…), it’s like Burma is attempting to do noise-garage. That’s a hard sound for anybody to pull off (basically just Thurston Moore – QRO live review – can do it…), and MoB are better than most, but this is not the Burma you’re looking for. “This Is Hi-Fi” ain’t hi-fi…
It’s good that Mission of Burma is still trying to evolve, and great that their reunion (which basically set the template for all the rest of the eighties/nineties alt-rock reunions to follow) is still going. But their live shows by now (QRO live review) feature few of their ‘late greats’, instead focusing on their twenty-first century material. And the horrible truth about Burma is that it’s nowhere near as good.
MP3 Stream: “7s“
