REVIEWS
- 06.17 Chicago Tribune names Mission of Burma's 7/30 Subterranean gig a "Hidden Gem"
The Chicago Tribune today posted its summer concert preview and picked out 12 not to be missed shows and festivals. Mission of Burma’s gig at Subterranean on July 30th is one of the paper’s “hidden gems.” Tickets for that show are available here.
- 05.03 Eachnotesecure.com
John Crowell reviewed the April 7 show in Newport, KY for Eachnotesecure.com. Read it here.
- 02.19 The Washington Post reviews The Sound The Speed The Light
Read The Washington Post's review of The Sound The Speed The Light here.
- 01.18 Spinner.com reviews Night 2 of Burma's set at the Paradise
Click here to read Linda Laban's review for Spinner.com of Burma's Saturday night show at the Paradise.
- 01.18 Boston.com review of Mission of Burma's show at the Paradise
Click here to read Jonathan Perry's review of the first of Burma's 2-night set at the Paradise this past weekend.
- 02.27 Transform Online
Transform Online posted a review of January's Paradise show...features some great photos, as well. Check it out.- 01.23 Spin.com
Spin.com ran a review of Burma's homecoming show at the Paradise. Check it out here.- 01.16 Pitchfork
'The Obliterati' landed at number 33 on Pitchfork's Top 50 of 2006. There's a big difference between reformation and revitalization, and The Obliterati makes that gap all the greater. Check it out, along with the rest of the list, right here.- 01.16 The Stanford Daily Online
The Stanford Daily Online listed 'The Obliterati' among fine company as one of the albums that made their year. Take a look.- 01.16 Indietastic.net
Indietastic.net ran a charming review of the Atlanta show. After their two song encore my ears were ringing, my heart was pounding and my pants were stained with beer. You can read it in it's entirety here.- 09.12 Musicangle.com
Musicangle.com just recently ran a fantastic review of 'The Obliterati'. As this record demonstrates, Mission of Burma still has it 100%. In fact they are better now than before thanks to a gentle sprinkle of knowing irony and humor that only putting on a few years can bring. You can read it in it's entirety here.- 08.08 Vail Trail
Vail, Colorado's 'The Vail Trail' recently gave 'The Obliterati' a stellar review. Now this CD isn’t a No. 1 hit machine like Michael Jackson’s Thriller or Def Leopard’s Hysteria. It’s better. It’s a listening experience. The kind of disc you leave in your car for weeks at a time. It’s the kind of disc that’s meant to be played all the way through on shuffle. Check it out.- 08.01 Chart Attack
Chart Attack ran a great review of the Burma's Toronto show - you can check it out here.- 08.01 VICE
VICE Magazine reviewed 'The Obliterati' in 'The Cops Issue' (Vol.13, #6, pg.106). They actually liked it - Vs. ruled, then nothing happened forever, then that last one ruled even harder and now this one makes every current band of twenty-somethings look like total 'mos, and makes the rest of the world wish Boston could put an ounce of urgency into something once in a while.
- 07.27 Cleveland.com
Jonah Bayer interviewed Clint for Plain Dealer article that you can read here.- 07.27 Chart Attack
The Canadian website Chart Attack has a short interview with Roger that is well worth a read. Check it out.- 07.25 Stuff Magazine
The Gentleman's magazine Stuff listed 'Let Yourself Go' among their '10 Songs to Download' in the Hype section of their July issue [#80, p. 35].- 07.25 Alternative Press
AP has a review of the album in their August issue, they gave it 4 outta 5 and noted that it's, Yet another rock-solid album. [p.204]- 07.25 MOJO
The British music magazine MOJO gave 'The Obliterati' a stellar **** review, declaring it Equal parts bludgeoning Art Brut and soaring pop grace. [Aug 2006, p.94]- 07.25 The L Magazine
The L Magazine recently ran a nice post regarding the Warsaw show and an excellent interview with Peter that you should check out here.- 07.25 The Noise
Issue #263 of the Noise (the Sick Summer Double Issue) features Roger on the cover and includes an interview with Clint, Peter and Roger. As of this moment, you can read the entire thing here. Just be sure leave a snarky comment on the Noise Board while you're at it.- 07.25 Q
Q magazine had very nice things to say about the new album in the August issue [241], (MOB) kick sand in the eyes of today's angular art-brats...proof that alternatives to burning out or fading away exist.- 07.20 Village Voice
The Village Voice has a great article on Burma that includes commentary from Clint, Roger and Peter. Read it here.- 07.20 Boston Phoenix
Will Spitz reviewed the Paradise show for the Phoenix's 'On the Download' column - check it out here.
- 07.20 New York Press
Nice New York Press article regarding the album and tour. Take a look.
- 07.20 Boston Globe
The Boston Globe chimed in about Burma's tour-opening show at the Paradise in Boston on July 13th. If the astoundingly solid and artful sold-out show at the Paradise was anything to go by, Burma is now far removed from the nostalgia circuit. This is real. This is art. This is now. Full article.- 07.20 Punknews.org
Punknews.org gave 'The Obliterati' **** and noted that, Fans of angular and experimental punk like Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Hüsker Dü and Wire will find much to love about The Obliterati as will fans of creative, forward-looking music. Check it out.
- 07.20 | Drawer B
Drawer B has an amazing review posted. Mission of Burma just makes all the imitators sound silly. I simply can’t get over how good this record is....This is Mission of Burma’s most aggressive and impassioned record to date. Check it out in full.
- 07.20 NME
New Musical Express has had their say, Kicks with a passion and inventiveness that's seen them steam up the specs of everyone from Moby to Graham Coxon. [17 Jun 2006, p.39]
- 07.20 | Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone recently reviewed 'The Obliterati' (it's the issue with the Johnny Depp pirate on the cover) and declared that The Obliterati just sounds like the new Burma album...Roger Miller's multilayered guitar attack buzzes and hisses as fiercely as any other band out there. You can check out the entire review here.
Their editors also very kindly decided that 'Spider's Web' is one of this week's 'Hot Tracks'.
- 06.29 The Wire
The Wire apparently liked the album, as well...Packed with energy and furious with ideas. [#269, p.45]
- 06.19 Uncut
Uncut Magazine gave 'The Obliterati' **** and declared, MoB have... not lost a cent of their turbulent, controlled-chaos energy. [Jul 2006, p.101]
- 06.07 WERS
On top of crashing into the station's Top 10, 'The Obliterati' was named 'album of the month' by the staff of the Left End over at Boston's WERS. You can read the ever so pleasant review here.
- 06.07 Shaking Through
Shaking Through has a great review of the album over here.
- 06.02 The Weekly Dig
Michael Brodeur, the Music Editor from Boston’s Weekly Dig, gave the Obliterati an amazing review, declaring that, Mission of Burma have made their best record ever. Not kidding. It's incredible...simply too many beautiful moments to tell you about here. This year's best album, yo. Take a look at the full text here and while you're at it, be sure to check out the new Michael Bolton review, as well.
- 06.02 The Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle offers that, Standouts "1001 Pleasant Dreams" and "13" wipe down the band's more melodic side, while "Spider's Web" and "Let Yourself Go" sound just as urgent and bottom-heavy as anything MoB throttled 20 years ago. The full piece is here.
- 06.02 The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times reviewed the album, noting that, the second album of Burma's second phase still pushes the limits. You can find the rest over here.
- 06.02 Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine had their say...The Obliterati succeeds in proving that Mission of Burma is not only capable of a comeback and a return to form, but also has exponential potential to evolve and thrive as a working band. No throwbacks or nostalgia trips are necessary, the band is moving only upward, onward, and forward, bristling with fervent intensity. There's actually more.
- 06.01 Spin
The latest issue of Spin offers that, Fifty year old men rarely sound this enraged and energized. Neither do twenty-somethings.
- 06.01 The Inlander
Spokane's The Inlander gives 'The Obliterati' ****1/2 and notes that, these guys slash, gouge, and pound away as if every moment were their last. Take a look.
- 06.01 Transform Online
Transform Online opines, For all the talk of Burma stepping right back into form upon reuniting, they prove it here to a degree that no one expected. Many said Burma were at the top of their game when they quit in 1983. It’s clear now that they weren’t even close to the top then and are still rising today.
- 06.01 Chicago Maroon
Extensive review in the Chicago Maroon. Highlights include, Arguably their most exciting, and certainly their most challenging, release to date...“Nancy Reagan’s Head” takes the entire album’s bitterness and condenses it into one of the most inspired punk anthems of the decade. The full piece is a great read. Check it out.
- 05.29 Boston Phoenix
The Boston Phoenix have posted Jim Sullivan's recent article about Burma on the interweb. The full read is here.
- 05.27 Chartattack
Canada's Chartattack posted a glowing review of 'The Obliterati', declaring that, If you're truly in the mood to rock in 2006, The Obliterati should be your first and last stop. Take a look.
- 05.26 Urban Pollution
Urban Pollution has posted a great read and offers that the album is, ...sharp, raucous, and miraculously exuberant stuff. The full text.
- 05.24 The Washington Post
The Washington Post ran an excellent review, noting that, Mission of Burma proves that art can still triumph over mere commerce. After registering for free, you can check out the entire piece here.
- 05.24 The New York Observer
The New York Observer had sweet things to say, stating that, "This is Burma’s rawest, most severe work to date—a coarser grade of sandpaper than even the classic 80’s recordings". The full review is here.
- 05.24 The Onion A.V. Club
America's Finest News Source The Onion gave 'The Obliterati' an 'A-' .Two albums into its second life, Mission Of Burma is making its legendary early days seem like a prelude. The review can be found in the A.V. Club, but it's recommended that you paw through the rest of the site, as well.
- 05.24 Playboy
Playboy, yep Playboy, declares, "MoB is no easier a pill to swallow than it was 25 years ago, but the band is frequently worth the trouble". Subsequently, 'The Obliterati' received 3 bunnies outta 4. Check it out.
- 05.24 Blender
Blender offered reassuring words, A fierce, arty mix of melody and brute clatter...Expect a bright future for this little band.
- 05.24 Filter
Filter Magazine gave the album a 90% approval-rating and, more amazingly, resurrected the term 'Massholes'. Seriously. How the hell do these 40-something Massholes rock with the urgency of Fugazi and the intelligence of Gang of Four (not just the basslines)? And where do these guys get off taking a 20-year hiatus only to return like Lazarus with a volume fetish?
- 05.24 The Boston Herald
The Boston Herald gave 'The Obliterati' an 'A' and said, (The Obliterati) is denser, darker, noisier and, yes, more fun than the Burma of old. You can read it here.
- 05.23 Pitchfork
Pitchfork has posted a fantastic review of the album. They're making their noise their way, the same way they did some two decades ago. And it's a sound as vital and inspirational as ever. Check it out here.
- 05.23 The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe remarked that, We shouldn't be surprised at how great, and essential, the band sounds... Check out the full article here.
- 05.23 Aversion
Aversion has an amazing review. The Obliterati is powerful, smart and noisy, and, in a perfect world, would be enough to re-start the whole punk thing back at 1975 ground zero. In full.
- 05.23 Time Out New York
Time Out New York has the following, The Obliterati succeeds wildly: These 14 all-new songs might even take 1983’s legendary Vs. in a fair fight. Check it out in depth here.
- 05.23 All Music
All Music gave 'The Obliterati' ****1/2 and offered that, Sonic rabble-rousing doesn't get much better than this. There's more here.
- 05.23 New York Sun
The New York Sun offers, The Obliterati finds Mission of Burma's diamond-hard sense of quality control intact and proves that the band has lost not a whit of energy or taste for noisy experimentation. You can check out the piece in full, with a free trial subscription, here.
- 05.23 Cokemachine Glow
Cokemachine Glow said, They’ve managed to produce the best American rock record of the year so far; not bad for a bunch of middle-aged guys from Boston with a nasty case of tinnitus. Read more here.
- 05.23 Dusted Magazine
Dusted Magazine opines, This time, they're even better, more cohesive and confident, louder and funnier, still learning from life and each other, and using that experience to create ever more compelling music. Check it out.
- 05.23 The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer decided that, If it weren't for the light melodic overtones, the pressure of this album would easily crush your head. You can find it here.
- 05.23 Billboard
Billboard notes, In music, as in life, things go in cycles, and the melodic yet dissonant sea of guitar attack Burma brings to the table sounds arguably more relevant today than it did 20 years ago. Go here for the full review.
- 05.19 | Pitchfork
Pitchfork posted a piece regarding the upcoming Summer tour.
- 05.19 | The Stranger
Seattle's The Stranger gave 'The Obliterati' a **** review. Check it out here.
- 05.19 | The Boston Phoenix
The Boston Phoenix has a great piece on the Obliterati Listening Party (DJ'd by Roger and Peter) and, at the moment, offers exclusively downloadable mp3s of '2wice' and 'Donna Sumeria'. Check it out here.
- 05.19 The Big Takeoever
Issue #58 of The Big Takeover is now on stands (Franz Ferdinand is on the cover). Jack Rabid honored the album with the top spot in his 'Top 40'. You can read an excerpt of the review on the BTO's website here.
- 04.25 | Marathonpacks
Marathonpacks ran a piece on 'Donna Sumeria', a track from the forthcoming album, and even posted an MP3 for your listening pleasure. Check it out here.
- 04.25 | The Toronto Eye Weekly
Dave Morris named '2wice' the MP3 of the week in his column 'Totally Wired' over at the Toronto Eye Weekly's website. Check out his column here.
- 04.25 | Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound covers all of the newness in the Burmal world. Take a look.
- 04.25 | Billboard Magazine
Billboard spoke to Roger regarding the new album, obliterati.net and the NOT A PHOTOGRAPH documentary. Check it out here.
- 04.20 | Pitchfork
Pitchfork covers the premiere of NOT A PHOTOGRAPH and the launch of Obliterati.net. Check it out here.
- 03.30 | First review of 2wice!
Pitchfork recently posted the first known review of '2wice', which is the leadoff track from 'The Obliterati'. Check it out here.
- 02.21 | Chart Attack
Canada's Chart Attack has posted a notice regarding the upcoming album and now-defunct subscription series.
- 02.14 | Brooklyn Ski Club
The Brooklyn Ski Club has a great review (and even better pictures) of Burma's February 10th show at the Bowery Ballroom.
- 02.06 | Pitchfork
Pitchfork ran an interview with Clint regarding the forthcoming "Obliterati".
- 01.25 | CMJ
CMJ ran this bit on 'The Obliterati'.
- 01.24 | Punknews.org
PunkNews.Org has a running thread regarding the new album.
- 01.23 | Filter
Filter Magazine Online makes a mention of "The Obliterati".
- 01.23 | Starpulse Blog
The Starpulse Blog has posted a notice regarding the forthcoming album.
- 07.14 | The Daily Texan
nice article regarding Burma's return to Austin. The Daily Texan.
- 07.14 | The Austin American Statesman
ran a nice blurb regarding Mission of Burma's appearance. The Austin American Statesman.
- 07.06 | EQ Magazine Online
compares and contrasts the making the VS and ONoffON. EQ Online- 03.22 | The Daily Online Californian
reviews MOB at Noise Pop Festival!The Daily Online Californian.
- 02.25 | IGN.com
reviews MOB's Noise Pop show IGN.com
- 02.20 | San Francisco Bay Guardian
The San Francisco Bay Guardian Previews MOB's Noise Pop show
- 12.24 | LA Weekly
A year end wrap-up by Falling James features Mission of Burma's ONoffON as the #2 in the LA Weekly!
- 11.19 | Aversion
features Mission of Burma in Aversion!
- 11.18 | Denver Post
features Mission of Burma in Denver Post!
- 11.17 | Pop Matters
features Mission of Burma in Pop Matters!
- 08.06 | BigYawn.net
BigYawn.net writes a very favorable review of "ONoffON"
- 07.28 | The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe covers "Rock the Vote".
- 07.27 | The Washington Post
Mission of Burma's performance at "Rock the Vote" at Avalon mentioned in The Washington Post.
- 07.26 | The Village Voice
Politics in rock discussed in The Village Voice.
- 07.20 | PR Newswire
The PR Newswire did a story about Siren Festival
- 07.19 | The New York Times
The New York Times reviews Siren Festival
- 07.03 | The Guardian
London's The Guardian reviews Mission of Burma at The Scala.
- 06.25 | Irish Times Interview
The Irish Times interviews Mission of Burma in preperation for their July Ireland gigs.
- 06.10 | The Stranger
reviews ONoffON in The Stranger!
- 06.06 | Willamette Week
Mission of Burma's new release ONoffON featured in Portland's Willamette Week
- 06.04 | Hot Press
ONoffON gets reviewed in Ireland's Hot Press.
- 06.04 | Irish Times Review
ONoffON gets reviewed in The Irish Times.
- 06.02 | The Seattle Weekly
Check out this feature of ONoffON written by Franklin Burno in The Seattle Weekly.
- 06.01 | The Crutch
Read this great review of ONoffON in The Crutch!
- 06.01 Indianapolis Music
reviews ONoffON in Indianapolis Music!
- 05.28 | The Weekly Dig
Boston's free weekly The Weekly Dig reviews "ONoffON"
- 05.28 | Boston Globe
Check out this live review of the Boston Avalon show in the Boston Globe
- 05.27 | Boston Herald
The Boston Herald ran a pre-show feature as well as a rave review for the May 22 Avalon show!
- 05.25 | The Daily Orange
Read this splendid review of ONoffON in The Daily Orange!
- 05.20 | The Valley Advocate
amusing review of ONoffON in Valley Advocate!
- 05.18 | Portsmouth Herald
Portsmouth, NH's daily, The Portsmouth Herald featured Mission of Burma.
- 05.17 | The Michigan Daily
The University of Michigan's student paper The Michigan Daily gives "ONoffON" 4 out of 5 stars.
- 05.14 The Boulder News
gives a great review of ONoffON in The Boulder News!
- 05.14 | The Washington Post
The Washington Post features Mission of Burma.
- 05.13 | Metrowest Daily
Check out this review of "ONoffON" in Western Mass' Metrowest Daily reviews "ONoffON"
- 05.13 | The Dallas Observer
ONoffON reviewed in The Dallas Observer!
- 05.12 | The Cleveland Free Times
The Cleveland Free Times "ONoffON" 3/4 stars!
- 05.11 | Revolver
Revolver write about MoB...
- 05.11 | Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly writes about Burma!
- 05.11 | AP
Mission of Burma in The AP.
- 05.11 | Metacritic.com
Check out ratings and reviews for ONoffON and contribute your own critique at Metacritic.com.
- 05.11 | Metacritic.com
Check out ratings and reviews for ONoffON and contribute your own critique at Metacritic.com.
- 05.11 | The Chicago Reader
Bob Weston and ONoffON are featured in The Chicago Reader.
- 05.10 | Daily Collegian
UMass Amherst's Daily Collegian features Burma.
- 05.07 | Playboy
Check out this review of ONoffON in Playboy...that's right, Playboy.
- 05.06 | Kanson.com
reviews ONoffON in kansan!
- 05.06 | All Music Guide
The All Music Guide put up a great review of ONoffON.
- 05.05 | The Daily Cardinal
The Daily Cardinal reviews ONoffON
- 05.05 | Billboard Review
Billboard Magazine has good things to say about ONoffON.
- 05.04 | Junkmedia Review
ONoffON receives a 4/5 on Junkmedia...read the story.
- 05.04 | Pitchfork Review
ONoffON got a rave review today on Pitchfork.
- 05.03 | The Phoenix
Read this great article that ran in the Boston Phoenix and Portland Phoenix
- 05.02 | The Oakland Press
takes a look at ONoffON in The Oakland Press!
- 05.02 | The Sunday Times, London
WHILE the Who's line "I hope I die before I get old" only compounds the shame of their new material, art-punks on the comeback trail, including Television, Wire and, latterly, Boston¹s Mission of Burma, have little to fear. Elliptical impenetrability doesn't date at the same rate as gauche sloganeering. Aside from the vocals having dropped an octave, OnOffOn links seamlessly to MoB's inspirational early-1980s work. The band buried a catchy pop sensibility in precision-engineered riffs that referenced Steve Reich's minimalism and evoked the Velvet Underground's monochrome psychedelia, but split in 1983 because of their guitarist's tinnitus. Rykodisc's recently released best-of, Accomplished, makes explicit MoB's influence on Blur, REM, Shellac and Hüsker Dü; OnOffOn demonstrates their continuing vitality. Two stars (out of 3).
Stewart Lee
- 05.02 | The New York Times
The New York Times ran a feature on MoB written by Michael Azerrad, author of "Our Band Could Be Your Life." You may have to register on the site to view the article, but registration is free and it is well worth it!
- 04.28 | Billboard Magazine
"ONoffON" reviewed in Billboard!
- 04.28 | New Noise
Mission of Burma's London ICA show was reviewed in the British webzine New Noise.net
- 04.25 | Chicago Tribune
This Boston trio mapped out the future for art-punk with one studio album, an EP and a handful of singles in 1979-83, then faded into obscurity. Since then, they've been championed by R.E.M., Blur and Moby, among others, and were the subject of a glowing chapter in Michael Azzerad's book on '80s indie rock, "Our Band Could Be Your Life." In 2002, the band reunited for a tour and sounded as fierce and revelatory as ever. "On Off On" presents guitarist Clint Conley, bassist Roger Miller and drummer Peter Prescott in top form, with the help of tape manipulations and engineering expertise from Chicagoan Bob Weston. In the past, Conley brought the melody, Miller the art-band conceits, and Prescott the punk fervor, but these impulses always merged into an imposing whole, and that is especially the case on "On Off On." There's a nearly constant state of tension between the trio's noisier, more experimental impulses and its love of a catchy pop chorus, burnished occasionally by lovely string orchestrations and even a female backing vocal or two. Burma doesn't try to sound "new." They were several steps ahead when they charged out of the gate in 1979, and this brilliant refinement of their original sound couldn't be timelier.
Greg Kot
- 04.20 | MAGIC, Revue Pop Moderne
Want to brush up your French? Mission of Burma were featured in the French music magazine, Magic, Revue Pop Moderne
- 09.29 | New York Times
Mission of Burma mentioned in the NY Times reunion article about Simon and Garfunkel...