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06:58 PM - Mission of Burma : The Obliterati
How are you supposed to feel when your favorite band, who you always though to be long gone before your own time of musical actualization, is suddenly resurrected, not to be some nostalgia act but to pick up where they left off and actually move forward, challenging you to question the untouchability of their back catalog - a virtue bundled with extinction - so that you might actually have to ask if something new might possibly be even better than that which you thought to be unbeatable? Well? Of course there's no answer for that, but if you want to try, direct your attention to Mission of Burma. You know the story of their early not-quite-success, twenty year departure, and triumphant return (if not, go learn at the Obliterati / MoB wiki). 2004's On Off On proved that they could still rock, and that the songwriting wasn't at all stagnant, but with that much time apart it wasn't surprising that they could put together a good album (some were even songs left over from years earlier). Could they do the same in just two more years? There was a lot of anticipation for The Obliterati - the 12" subscription series should have been gearing fans up and whipping them into a fevered pitch by this week's release date, but things didn't quite work out. No matter the technical issues - the songs eventually got out and all us little fanboys should have our Shepard Fairey-design etched 12" singles (which are GORGEOUS) by now. Those 8 tracks actually represented a majority of the LP - the 6 songs that we had to wait for being "Donna Sumeria," "1001 Pleasant Dreams," "Good, Not Great," "13," "the Mute Speaks Out," and "Is This Where?" I can see why they picked what they did, with some of the strongest, most brutal and faster songs (stream all 8 here) going out first, though some choice cuts were definitely left for the record, namely "Donna Sumeria" which is just mindblowing. I listened to it 8 times today and will probably add a few more to that. You can hear it on the band's Myspace page. Though still very fresh, these 14 tracks are some of the best rock songs I've heard so far this year. I'm glad to see that Mission of Burma still has "it" and that they're going strong. The cd also comes with a DVD so you can get a taste of the live experience by watching performances of a few classic songs. Mission of Burma is currently on tour and will be playing at Warsaw in Brooklyn on July 14th. No word on who will open, but I have one damn good suggestion. (Sorry, I couldn't help it). Order The Obliterati at insound. Previously on Subinev: There's a Time and a Place to Punctuate, Mission of Burma Subscription Series (to answer your question, yes, I am speaking well of the record...)
Comments
Yeah, Man In Gray should totally be opening for them.
posted by: J at May 25, 2006 11:58 PM
man, i totally hate 'obliterati'! the songs (and titles) are all so cheesy! perhaps i was so disappointed because i was expecting something comparable to 'vs.' or 'signals'. instead it seems 'obliterati' is comparable to late weezer. who knows, maybe i just need to sit down and give it another try.
posted by: bidi at June 6, 2006 10:55 PM
Mission of Burma has an upcoming show you may want to check out. It's at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), Saturday July 1 at 8:00 pm. The show will be outdoors if the weather permits.
MASS MoCA is in North Adams in northern Berkshire County. Tickets and directions are available on our website at www.massmoca.org.
Thanks for letting me post this, and I hope you can come to the show!
-Kate, MASS MoCA intern
posted by: Kate at June 15, 2006 09:30 AM
Kate, I know about this show. It definitely sounds interesting and if I had a way to get there I would certainly consider checking it out. My girlfriend actually worked at MASS MoCA a couple years ago so I've heard all about it! Sounds like a very cool place.
posted by: bryan at June 15, 2006 09:44 AM
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