Staff Reviews

Mission Of Burma - Unsound

Review by Amanda Farah

Mission of Burma have successfully walked that fine line between being consistent and running out of ideas.»

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from the outset, 'unsound' was not going to be like any other mission of burma album. as expected, the material is raw, primal and aggressive. they still have a signature knack for twisting even the most ferocious noise into complex structures. there are, of course, those killer hooks scattered throughout, but just not quite where you would expect. yet with all three lead members resolutely making the decision to deliberately stretch their boundaries even further, they stepped out of their comfort zone to create their most rewarding, bewildering and multifaceted long-player yet. 'unsound' is mission of burma's 5th studio album, continuing their remarkable legacy. it seems redundant now to even call it a comeback because they're a dynamic, current band. originally together just four years, from 1979-83, mission of burma reformed in 2002 for a handful of shows - which led to more concerts, then more, and eventually the release of 2004's "onoffon", their first new recording in over twenty years. but no one expected them to just keep putting out records, let alone records that were every bit as vital and influential as their seminal early recordings. their first album 'vs' is down in the annals of time as being one of the most important post-punk records ever. their subsequent recordings: "onoffon", "the obliterati", "the sound, the speed, the light", and now, "unsound", continue to grow in scope, depth and accomplishment with every step.
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