Mission Of Burma – A Gun to the Head
I’m ashamed to admit that before this CD arrived I was completely oblivious to who Mission Of Burma are. However, after only one listen I became hooked and ‘A Gun to the Head’ hasn’t left my CD player since it turned up on my doorstep last week. But why? Well, put simply it’s a great collection of songs, each brimming with melodic, scuzzy anthems and tales of rebellion and frustration.
Often referred to as ‘one of the most important American rock bands of the last 20 years’, Mission Of Burma helped pave the way for many bands left stranded after the punk era. Their brand of experimental pop-punk echoes the vociferous, creative characteristics that are normally associated with bands like Sonic Youth (who coincidentally formed during the same period).
Despite the band only having one full-length studio recording from their short four-year, post-punk existence, ‘A Gun to the Head’ is a great deal better than many ‘Best Of’ offerings from bands with countless releases. Not only is each song hand-picked by the band themselves, this compilation boasts a range of diverse, raw sounds (such as “All World Cowboy Romance”) as well as catchy, radio-friendly sing-a-longs such as “(That’s When I Reach For My) Revolver” and their better-known, “Academy Fight Song”. The different layers that shape each song enable this album to be listened to as background music at a party, or as the soundtrack to your bedroom. No matter where you listen to it, you can’t help but become sucked into the intense explosion of furious chaos. Mission Of Burma manage to seamlessly fuse punk rock sensibilities with art-rock experimentation, without becoming repetitive, or more importantly, too pretentious.
A Gun To The Head will appeal to a range of music fans, no matter what your preference, and is a definite bonus to any CD collection.