Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band formed in Boston, Massachus… Read Full Bio ↴Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. Initially splitting in 1983, the band reformed in 2002. In a 2019 Facebook post, it was revealed that the band has no plans to make further albums. As of June 2020, the band was officially finished.

The band was formed by Roger Miller (guitar), Clint Conley (bass), Peter Prescott (drums) and Martin Swope (tape manipulator/sound engineer). Miller, Conley and Prescott share singing and songwriting duties. Like many of their post-punk contemporaries, Mission of Burma's efforts are largely concerned with extending punk's original vocabulary without losing its essential rebellious spirit. Using rapid shifts in dynamics, unconventional time signatures and chord progressions along with tape effects, Mission of Burma challenges the prevailing idioms of punk while attempting to retain its power and immediacy.

In early years the band's audience was limited to the Boston area, with all their recordings released on the small Boston-based record label Ace of Hearts. Despite initial success, Mission of Burma disbanded in 1983 due to Miller's development of tinnitus caused by the volume of the band's live performances. The band released only one album in its original form, Vs.. Mission of Burma reformed in 2002, with Bob Weston replacing Swope, and has since recorded two more albums, ONoffON and The Obliterati.

Their wall-of-noise musical sound extended the vocabulary of punk while continuing to hold clear its sense of power and abandon. They used a number of tape effects, different chord progressions, and time shifts to highlight their formal training in music. Not only that but they are seen now as a highly influential band to both post-punk and experimental music to come after; many bands cite Burma as an inspiration, including Nirvana, Superchunk, Creed, The Grifters, R.E.M. (who regularly covered "Academy Fight Song" on their Green tour), Sonic Youth, Throwing Muses, Yo La Tengo, Soul Asylum, Pixies, Sugar, Catherine Wheel, Guided by Voices, Graham Coxon and Moby - the last two of which have covered ""That's When I Reach For My Revolver."

The band were due to tour in 1980 with Joy Division but the suicide of Ian Curtis, Joy Division's singer, canceled the tour. In 1983, after releasing their only full-length studio record Vs., the group disbanded due to Miller's worsening tinnitus.

The band found increasing relevance throughout the 90s, culminating in the publication of Michael Azzerad's essays Our Band Could Be Your Life which featured Mission of Burma. In 2002, they reunited and began playing reunion shows with Bob Weston of Shellac (and formerly Prescott's Volcano Suns bandmate) replacing Swope at the mixing board and tape manipulation. In an interview Miller relates that "when we approached Bob Weston to fill Martin's position, we told him he could use current digital technology which accomplishes Martin's antics in an easier fashion. However, Bob opted for maintaining the original integrity, and uses a tape deck."

A new album, ONoffON, was produced in 2004 by Weston with Rick Harte and the band, and released by Matador Records.

In 2009 the band recorded 14 tracks for their fourth full-length studio album, The Sound The Speed The Light. Matador released a two non-album songs on a 7″ single in August and the full album in October of that year.

In 2012 Mission of Burma parted ways with Matador and recorded their fifth full-length album, "Unsound", for Fire Records. The album saw release in July 2012, preceded by the single "Dust Devil".

In a 2019 Facebook post, it was revealed that the band has no plans to make further albums. As of June 2020, the band was officially finished.

See also:
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
Volcano Suns
Kustomized
The Peer Group
Consonant

Into The Fire
Mission of Burma Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Someone gathers the best ideas
And burns them
Something's broken
Someone's spoken
Of no return
Burn all the rabid ideas
Out in the hallway
Something comes in a great procession

Calling my name

And I don't know why
I do what I do
I can break that window
I can hurl myself into that fire
Into that fire burns
Burns

Now the cycle's spinning down
But no one
No one at all
Comes out of the forest with a magic wand to spell me
Electric burns in its camoflauge
Won't clear the air
Something comes in a great procession
Calling my name

And I don't know why
I do what I do
I can smash that doorway
I can hurl myself into that fire

Is that free
Calling me
To that fire

Here I go
Burning slow
In that fire
Into that fire

Baby burn baby burn baby burn
Burn

Overall Meaning

The song "Into the Fire" by Mission of Burma presents a chaotic and cryptic narrative that may leave listeners scratching their heads at first. The opening lines allude to the destruction of "best ideas" by someone who wants to eradicate them, as well as the brokenness and irreversible nature of certain things that may befall us. The imagery of burning not only conveys a sense of loss but suggests that there is an urgency to the destruction, as something is pushing the characters to get rid of these ideas. The phrase "of no return" implies that once something is destroyed, it cannot be recreated, emphasizing the finality of this process.

As the song continues, it introduces the idea of a procession that is calling the singer's name. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for a temptation or a calling towards something dangerous or risky. In the chorus, the singer admits to not knowing why they are impelled to take such risks, but they still feel compelled to do so, as evidenced by their declarations that they could break a window, hurl themselves into a fire, or smash a doorway. The repetition of the phrase "in that fire" conveys a sense of determined intensity, as if the singer is trying to fuel their brave actions with this powerful imagery. The song closes with the repeated phrase "burn baby burn," which underscores the destructive themes throughout the song and creates an ominous, almost apocalyptic tone.

Line by Line Meaning

Someone gathers the best ideas
A person collects the most innovative concepts

And burns them
Then destroys them intentionally

Something's broken
There's an issue that needs attention

Someone's spoken
An individual has shared their thoughts on a matter

Of no return
With irreversible consequences

Burn all the rabid ideas
Eliminate all fervent and extreme thoughts

Out in the hallway
In a public area

Something comes in a great procession
Something is approaching in a grand procession

Calling my name
That seems to be reaching out to me specifically

And I don't know why
I am unsure of the motive or cause behind it

I do what I do
I take action without fully understanding my own reasoning