Since reuniting in 2002, Mission of Burma has become the triumphant story of a band that time forgot. The group disbanded prematurely in 1983, but its records made a sizable mark: Mission of Burma became a band's band; leaving noticeable impressions on the likes of Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo.
It's not hard to see why. Tightly embracing guitar effects and tape loops, Mission of Burma made sound an important commodity in rock 'n' roll, and its members carried that tradition into their first album after a 19-year hiatus, 2004's ONoffON. With engineering legend Bob Weston at the controls, the band was back rattling rock's cages, but its classic sound wasn't all there.
Last year, Mission of Burma's original albums got the reissue treatment, and with that as a backdrop, the band has rounded into to form. The militant snap of Peter Prescott's drums, the howl of Roger Miller's guitar and the harsh plucks of Clint Conley's bass all return in an anthemic battle cry against excess titled "1, 2, 3, Partyy!" It comes from The Sound the Speed the Light, Mission of Burma's third post-reunion album, out Tuesday. This time around, the story starts exactly where it left off.
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