Mission of Burma embark on a nine-city tour tomorrow night (9/7) in Philadelphia which also brings the band to DC’s Black Cat on Saturday, 9/8 if you’re local to TVD’s DC HQ. Boston’s ‘Burma are touring behind their new Fire Records release, Unsound, a copy of which we have to award to one of you. And it’s a release we were quite fond of upon its arrival in July:
“Mission of Burma have just released Unsound, their fourth record since reforming in 2002, and it continues the odds defying level of quality that marks them as the indie-rock reunion against which all others will be compared. The secret seems to be an unusually high personal standard combined with a desire to not take it all too seriously. That and excellent songs, of course.
I’m just going to come right out and say it; Mission of Burma’s second incarnation is the more impressive of their existence’s two segments, and as strong as the reunited original lineup of fellow Massachusetts residents Dinosaur Jr. has been (both on record and in the club), it still takes a backseat to Burma’s rekindled achievement.
Obviously many, even partisans of the band’s current activities, will balk at this assessment, mainly because their Mk I discography, while the leanest oeuvre of all the life-changing ’80s American underground proto-indie bands, is very persuasively the most accomplished pound-for-pound; a seven inch, an EP, an LP and a live album, and all of them stone classics.”
“…Unsound, Mission of Burma’s third full-length since reignition, continues their improbable trajectory of quality by both refusing to settle for formula and by persisting in sidestepping the generally impossible expectations of Legendary Status.
To wit, Burma has smartly avoided the impulse to top the elevated standing of their past recordings. Instead, from ‘06’s The Obliterati to this latest release, the stated desire has been to simply make strong, satisfying records from within the general parameters of the Mission of Burma sound, a point of attack that provides far more leeway than expected. The only standard the band has taken to heart is its own; avoid going through the motions.
…the band’s three Matador releases and Unsound, their first for UK label Fire, bring forth the power without any hesitation, sounding much closer to the band’s live sound. And this has been achieved without sacrificing those highly defining “art-rock” traits.
Unsound is a very well assembled record. Beginning with the short blast of “Dust Devil,” it quickly segues into the disc’s heartiest, lengthier numbers before wrapping up with a galvanizing three-punch combo of effective brevity; “7’s,” “What They Tell Me,” and the ripping denouement that is “Opener,” a near instrumental save for the phrase repeated emphatically at track’s end, the last sound’s heard from this superb album: “Forget what you know.”
Picking the finest full length Mission of Burma album is a very easy task, for Vs. is essentially a perfect record, one of the ‘80s Ten Best in this writer’s estimation. To decide upon the band’s second best is an endeavor far more difficult, and Unsound has happily complicated the effort even more.”
Enter to win Mission of Burma’s Unsound on vinyl in the comments below by giving us your choice of band or artist who are stronger than ever, lo these many years on. We’ll choose one wise old soul with a North American mailing address a week from today, 9/13!
Mission of Burma Tour Dates:
09/07/12 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
09/08/12 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
09/13/12 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
09/14/12 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
09/15/12 – Austin, TX – Antone’s
09/26/12 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall
09/27/12 – Minneapolis, MN – The 400 Bar
09/28/12 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
09/29/12 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
