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Jul 13, 2012 Mission of Burma By Austin Trunick

We’ve long since forgiven Mission of Burma for their 19-year hiatus; if you wanted to make the argument that Burma 2.0 is an even better band than the first go-round, you probably won’t be instantly dismissed as crazy. The quality—and comparative volume—of music they’ve put out since 2004’s ONoffON has shifted the conversation away from the band’s decade-old reunion. At this point, it’s easy to forget they were ever gone.

The key to their recent success has been in finding ways to keep their sound fresh. Unsound may be their most deliberately chaotic album yet, with Clint Conley, Roger Miller, and Peter Prescott trading instruments and experimenting with new ways to write, play, and record, three decades after their first release. The brash, lo-fi production on Unsound is still classic Burma; sounds collide and overrun each other in a manner that feels as carefully-crafted as it does slipshod. Miller’s herky-jerk guitar slashing across Conley and Prescott’s pounding rhythms, shared vocals howled and barked, with Shellac’s Bob Weston providing warped tape loops and even some surprising trumpet blasts. This band of old veterans continues to sound more invigorated than groups one-tenth of its age. (www.missionofburma.com)

Author rating: 7/10