Mission Of Burma
Learn How: The Essential Mission Of Burma
(Fire)
"Don't make an idol of me" runs the refrain of New Nails, Mission Of Burma's unsubtle swipe in the direction of the church. It seems apt for a band who never received the same reverence as some of their post-punk peers: Gang Of Four and Joy Division here, Talking Heads and Sonic Youth closer to home. Formed in 1979, the Boston four-piece raged hard for four brief years and just one album, providing frontman Roger Miller with debilitating tinnitus rather than deification – a key factor in their split. Unexpectedly, they reformed in 2002, became darlings of the alt-festival circuit and have been bashing out the records ever since, whether or not we've been paying attention. This twin-disc, career-covering compilation marks 10 years since the comeback, but while taut, propulsive early tracks such as That's When I Reach For My Revolver might well be "essential", it's hard to say the same of much of the newer work, which – despite occasionally interesting structures – often blusters rather than roars.
Simon Stuart
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