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

The Ballad of Johnny Burma
Mission of Burma Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I said my mother's dead
Well I don't care about it
I said my father's dead
Well I don't care about it

It happens anyway
It happens anyway
On the edge of Burma

We're on the edge of Burma

I said my baby twists
She twists the night away
I swear she twists so good
And then she turned to me

And then she turned to me
And then I heard her say
"Well, that's the way I like it

that's the way I like it
I like it too much."

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of this song seem to be expressing a sense of detachment and apathy towards personal loss, with the repetitive refrain of "I said my [parent] is dead, well I don't care about it." This could suggest a coping mechanism of detachment or a nihilistic attitude towards death. The mention of being "on the edge of Burma" could be a metaphor for being on the outskirts of society or on the brink of something dangerous or unknown.

The second half of the song then shifts to a more upbeat feel, with the singer expressing admiration for their partner's dancing skills and enjoyment of the same. The line "that's the way I like it, I like it too much" suggests a passionate enjoyment of a certain lifestyle or activity. Overall, the song could be seen as a commentary on the conflicting emotions of apathy and passion, with the singer expressing a detachment towards death but a strong attachment towards their partner and their shared love for dancing.

Line by Line Meaning

I said my mother's dead
I acknowledge that my mother is deceased

Well I don't care about it
Her death doesn't affect me emotionally

I said my father's dead
I acknowledge that my father is deceased

Well I don't care about it
His death doesn't affect me emotionally

It happens anyway
Death is inevitable

It happens anyway
There's no point in dwelling on death

On the edge of Burma
In a precarious situation

We're on the edge of Burma
We're in a precarious situation

I said my baby twists
I acknowledge that my partner dances

She twists the night away
She dances all night long

I swear she twists so good
She's a great dancer