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Attention all dudes under 30: President Dumbass is still waging a war on terror, why the hell are you writing pansy-ass folk songs and mom-scaring noise songs? If you are under 30, you may not even remember the Reagan era of mutually assured destruction for the sake of deterrence (or bleeding the Russian economy dry). Now we flex our muscles by dropping actual bombs instead of just giving them to Iran, and nobody can fucking write a punk song anymore? Thank God Mission of Burma is back together - not just some one-off reunion (cash grab) and pat on the back, but truly a band again. Although their most in your face political moment is a rather cheeky attack on a target from their first band tenure in the early 80s - Nancy Reagan - the ferocity throughout the entire album is at an all time high. Songs are fast and aggressive, like the maelstrom bass rumble on "Spider's Web" which has a slashing tiger swipes of a guitar part that sounds reminiscent of Polvo (Bob Weston's production for both bands probably not coincidental). The band allows themselves to be perhaps more straightforwardly punk than they have in the past. "Let Yourself Go" brings to mind the Stooges with its riotous vocals and guitar, and "2wice" is an insanely catchy leadoff song with all pistons firing - drums exploding, driving guitar chug, and an instantly ingrained chorus. While the fury over the fuhrer is very tangible, the lyrics deal more so love, from the perspective of guys in their 40s. "13" is a delicate, heartfelt love song; an ode to the love of his life from Roger Miller. Clint Conley has his own love songs, but if you're a fan of his Consonant songs as much as I am, you can probably expect they're feuled more by frustration than joy. "Cry" is probably the most overused word in love songs, but Conley makes it cool by casting it through his age-inflected apathy in "Is This Where?" by singing "Is this where I'm supposed to cry?" Definitely in the top 3 of best Mission of Burma studio albums, which makes it undeniably essential. May even be in the top 1.

Mission of Burma at Amazon & Insound