The band have lost little of their power and ambition, and still seek to confound their audience. The title-less "Track 9" (perhaps jokingly referring to MOB's age by representing the mid-way turning-over of an LP) is 14 seconds of silence, while "Prepared" is a melancholy, string-laden romance, and "Nicotine Bomb" a weirdly cheerful ditty. However, much of the rest is jerky, angular rock, squalls of discordant noise and angry, politicised chants, all recalling Gang Of Four. Same as it ever was. Mission of Burma, it seems, are destined to remain one of the underground's best-respected cults. --Dominic Wills

Description
Mission of Burma's second full-length album is a major surprise for two key reasons. First of all, it's downright shocking that the revered Boston post-punk band even attempted tofollow up their 1982 debut--more than 20 years later. Second, the record is stunningly good.
Starting off their reunion disc with the furious sounds of "The Setup", the band (sans original member/tape manipulator Martin Swope, here replaced by Shellac's Bob Weston) confidently lunges forward, with Roger Miller's razor-sharp guitars and distinctive vocalsleading the group on a rhythmic workout. Proving that Mission of Burma is a democratic enterprise, bassist/vocalist Clint Conley commandeers the blazing "Hunt Again", while drummer Peter Prescott contributes "The Enthusiast", another showcase for the band's nearly telepathic instrumental synergy. Fellow Bostonian Tanya Donnelly (Throwing Muses/Belly) sings on the dynamic "Falling", but the unexpected flourishes don't stop there; "Nicotine Bomb", the album's most unusual track, sounds like a hoedown thrown by the Dead Kennedys. Throughout ONOFFON, Mission of Burma's energy never relents, easily putting bands half their age to shame.