Ten years and four albums into the second act of their career, Mission Of Burma continue to work exponential wonders. Their new release, Unsound, is as visceral and immediate as any album I’ve heard this year (and possibly this lifetime) – a steel-plated assemblage of notes, arranged into songs, delivered with the skill and power of a controlled demolition team.
The compact Mission Of Burma story, for those who aren’t familiar: formed in 1979, released a seminal post-punk single, a seminal post-punk EP and a seminal post-punk album, broke up in 1983. Gained a legendary reputation with ensuing generations of indie musicians. Reformed to the shock of practically everyone in 2002, and have since managed to continue amazing the music world not only by not tarnishing their legacy, but also by reinforcing it with awe-inspiring live shows and vital new material.
That’s the history. And while it’s a perfectly good explanation of who Mission Of Burma were and are, it doesn’t explain why I like their new album. Unsound isn’t good because it’s a record by a historically important band. It’s good because it’s a record by people pushing themselves, trying new things without losing their center of gravity, and doing all of it with finesse and energy and great songwriting.
The first track starts instantly, percussion and vocals dropping you straightaway into a song that began before you arrived. It’s kinda punkish, pretty uptempo, deeply funky, and it barely has time to settle into your brain before we downshift into something else. Now there are steady cycles of guitar, semi-tonal backing vocals, bass tones rippling back and forth, and terse, carefully measured lyrics. And now there’s something else, all over again. Rhythms and textures shift wildly from track to track, sometimes staying clipped and sparse and skittery, sometimes layering themselves around and through each other. Fast follows slow, loud follows not quite as loud.
It’s a punk record by grown-ups, by people old enough and wise enough to know the parts of youth to keep close at hand. Years of experience are on display, without a hint of pretense. There’s an abundance of interesting ideas, sounds, and pieces, many things to pay attention to, a lot to enjoy and absorb.
Blasts of guitars and earth-shaking drums. Words that fill in spaces amongst the thunder, without intruding on the subconscious joy of listening. Two minute rave-ups, and four minute battering rams. Rock and roll without artifice, with meticulous attention to craft. Songs built on riffs built on energy built on ideas built on feelings.
It’s intelligent, startling, and passionate; a welcome dose of intensity and intent; a precise mix of head, heart, and volume.
Unsound is released in the US on July 10th, on CD, LP, or as a digital download.