ONoffON

Performer: Mission of Burma
Artist: Robert Weston; Bob Weston
Engineer: Bob Weston
Producer: Mission Of Burma
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: Mission Of Burma: Roger Miller (vocals, guitar); Clint Conley (vocals, bass); Peter Prescott (vocals, drums). Additional personnel: Robert Weston (tape loops). This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Mission of Burma: Roger Miller (vocals, guitar, strings, keyboards, percussion); Clint Conley (vocals, guitar, bass guitar); Peter Prescott (vocals, synthesizer, drums, percussion, electronics). Additional personnel: Tanya Donelly, Wounded World Singers (vocals); Christian Frederickson (viola); Eve Miller (cello); Bob Weston (loops). Mission of Burma's second full-length album is a major surprise for two key reasons. First of all, it's downright shocking that the revered Boston post-punk band even attempted to follow up their 1982 debut--more than 20 years later. Second, the record is stunningly good. Starting off their reunion disc with the furious sounds of "The Setup," the band (sans original member/tape manipulator Martin Swope, here replaced by Shellac's Bob Weston) confidently lunges forward, with Roger Miller's razor-sharp guitars and distinctive vocals leading the group on a rhythmic workout. Proving that Mission of Burma is a democratic enterprise, bassist/vocalist Clint Conley commandeers the blazing "Hunt Again," while drummer Peter Prescott contributes "The Enthusiast," another showcase for the band's nearly telepathic instrumental synergy. Fellow Bostonian Tanya Donnelly (Throwing Muses/Belly) sings on the dynamic "Falling," but the unexpected flourishes don't stop there; "Nicotine Bomb," the album's most unusual track, sounds like a hoedown thrown by the Dead Kennedys. Throughout ONOFFON, Mission of Burma's energy never relents, easily putting bands half their age to shame.

Rolling Stone (p.72) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he Boston quartet hasn't turned its back on the abrasive, high-energy sound that influenced all kinds of noisy indie rockers....[T]he dozens of riffs, guitar spills and slogans pack a messy, intelligent punch." Q (p.103) - 3 stars out of 5 - "ONOFFON's arty, angular punk fits right in with Franz Ferdinand, Hot Hot Heat and the like....They were doing it back in 1979 and this shows they've lost little of their sonic clout." Uncut (p.96) - 3 stars out of 5 - "ONOFFON has an incredibly dense, thick sound...Miller can still write terrifically belligerent pop songs..." CMJ (p.5) - "One of the unsung heroes of the post-punk movement, Mission Of Burma's return sounds as though this influential Boston band never broke up." Mojo (Publisher) (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 - "These 16 new recordings find their potency undiminished....[The] restless noise is complemented by questing, quizzical lyrics..."

The short-lived 1980s Boston outfit Mission Of Burma was one of the most influential American post-punk bands, combining fiercely modernist sonic layers with sheer brute-force, high-volume rock. Eclectic leader Roger Miller subsequently went on to the experimental solo project No Man and the prog-rock band Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic before eventually reforming Mission Of Burma for live performances in 2002 and a 2004 album, ONoffON.

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