The story of Mission of Burma is a unique one in that rarely does a band return after a 20 year absence and put out albums that best their earlier work. But such is the case with Mission of Burma, and the two albums released since their 2002 reunion are two of my favorites of the past ten years.
I picked up The Obliterati while in Athens, Georgia this past summer, and my wife quickly deemed it unacceptable road trip music given it's volume. Perhaps the theme for this little biweekly review should be "albums I love but Erin doesn't."
Every instrument on The Obliterati sounds like it was recorded at full volume, and every instrument sounds like it sits right at the top of the mix making for an album that simply sounds aggresive. Plus the album was recorded to sound very "live" which, as those of us who've spent years going to concerts know, is not an easy feat to reproduce in the studio. I like albums that demand your attention and provide enough interesting dynamics to make me want to go back and listen to them over and over, and The Obliterati does just that. The album also contains one of my favorite refrains in recent memory on a song called "Nancy Reagan's Head" -- "no way that thing came with that body." Classic.
I've never seen Burma live, but Roger Miller (no, not the "King of the Road" Roger Miller...) wears a giant set of headphones on stage to protect severely damaged ears from any further injury. Every time I see a picture of this, it reminds me of wearing a very similar pair of headphones when I was a little kid. Except his are to protect his ears, while mine were the beginning of a lifetime love affair with tinnitus.
Listen:
"2wice"
"Donna Sumeria"
"Main In Decline"
Mission of Burma website
Amazon.com link
Allmusic Guide link
I picked up The Obliterati while in Athens, Georgia this past summer, and my wife quickly deemed it unacceptable road trip music given it's volume. Perhaps the theme for this little biweekly review should be "albums I love but Erin doesn't."
Every instrument on The Obliterati sounds like it was recorded at full volume, and every instrument sounds like it sits right at the top of the mix making for an album that simply sounds aggresive. Plus the album was recorded to sound very "live" which, as those of us who've spent years going to concerts know, is not an easy feat to reproduce in the studio. I like albums that demand your attention and provide enough interesting dynamics to make me want to go back and listen to them over and over, and The Obliterati does just that. The album also contains one of my favorite refrains in recent memory on a song called "Nancy Reagan's Head" -- "no way that thing came with that body." Classic.
I've never seen Burma live, but Roger Miller (no, not the "King of the Road" Roger Miller...) wears a giant set of headphones on stage to protect severely damaged ears from any further injury. Every time I see a picture of this, it reminds me of wearing a very similar pair of headphones when I was a little kid. Except his are to protect his ears, while mine were the beginning of a lifetime love affair with tinnitus.
Listen:
"2wice"
"Donna Sumeria"
"Main In Decline"
Mission of Burma website
Amazon.com link
Allmusic Guide link
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