MISSION OF BURMA
The Obliterati
Matador
· Second post-comeback release, includes four song concert DVD.
As the first bloom of punk passes and most of the original musicians have hit the big four-oh, a host of former punk bands have reclaimed the stage on a wave of nostalgia, led by the reformed Sex Pistols and the Filthy Lucre Tour. Mission of Burma has taken this one step further, using it as an occasion to make a full-fledged comeback. The Obliterati marks the band’s second full-length release since reuniting and its strength and muscle is designed to serve notice that the band intends to make a full go of it.
Things kick off with "2wice," a gritty, jangly, snarling piece of work that picks up where the band left off 20 years ago, before moving into the bouncing bassline of "Spider’s Web" and exploding into cacaphonic bliss on "Donna Sumeria."
Not likely to make many converts among the Green Day or Franz Ferdinand set, Mission of Burma nevertheless has learned a few tricks from the likes of Fugazi, Jawbox, and other east coast bands of the early to mid 1990s – bands that grew up on Mission of Burma releases.
There remains, unfortunately, a feeling that the band is still getting its legs back. While Mission of Burma offer up 14 songs, we might have been better served with only 10, as several of the musical ideas here are redundant. Make no mistake, though, The Obliterati hail the return of Mission of Burma, something the album does with a vengeance. In an atmosphere of milquetoast pop-punk bands with pretty makeup, the boys of Burma are a strong cup of coffee.
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