or our money, this isn't just a hot new release, it's a goddamn cultural event .

? Matador Records

Let's not kid ourselves here. A new Mission of Burma album has as much cultural impact as, well, their first full length. Despite the praise of mainstream bands like REM , or the fact that Moby covered their magnum opus ? That's When I Reach for My Revolver? on Animal Rights , Roger Miller, Clint Conley and Peter Prescotts's dynamic creativity and stellar songwriting has been painfully overlooked. The music industry is nothing if not ignorant of it's past. Outside of music critics and indie rock dorks like us, I doubt this album will make even as much as a ripple in the ocean that is popular music.

And that's the frustrating part. Part of the allure is that after one genre-defining single, and two amazing albums ( Signals, Calls and Marches and their sole full-length, Vs. ) they went their separate ways, due to guitarist Roger Miller's worsening case of tinnitus. Had Mission of Burma stayed active, we wouldn't be here salivating over their first release in 22 years. Chances are, they would've made the leap to the mainstream, and we'd be talking about how they should've thrown in the towel long ago, or how they've become too commercial for our discerning elitist tastes. Instead, they did split, long before ever giving up their ideals, losing their creative edge, or fading into mediocrity. Up until this month, fans were left to wonder what could've been. Thankfully, ONoffON goes a long way in answering that question. From the opening explosion of ?The Setup? to the closing fury of ?Absent Mind,? it's almost like the 22 years never happened.

Of course, that's not to say that these old dogs haven't learned any new tricks. In fact, there is more diversity in songs on this album alone than in all of Burma 's entire discography. Take ?Prepared,? a Conley-written number closing out the first side. Featuring simple chords, soft vocals, and a string section, this reflective, mellow track is downright pretty. Fortunately, only a few of the bands attempts at expanding their repertoire come across as completely uninteresting. ?Falling? is only really engaging during the noisy breakdowns. Miller's voice just doesn't have what it takes to carry the song, and the monotonous backing vocals by guest Tanya Donnelly do nothing to keep this track's momentum moving. ?What We Really Were,? the only collaboration between Miller and Conley on the album, falters only due to the fact that it's so average. It's not that these songs are bad, per se; it's just that, from a band like Mission of Burma, you just expect more.

The band spends little time trying on new skins, instead flexing their increased musicianship on classic sounding tracks. Prescott 's ?The Enthusiast? comes across as a vicious blast of punk that time forgot. Proving that age has not calmed them, Prescott screams over Miller's gnashing guitar and some of Bob Weston's (replacing original tap manipulator Martin Swope) best work on the album. Not to be outdone, Miller strikes with ?Wounded World,? the opening track of side two. Easily the most venomous track, the blistering attack of feedback, tape noise, and pounding drums stresses the rousing chorus: ?If/You laugh at my jokes/You will pay for it/When your friends/Are enemies/You'll be sorry.?

Twenty-two years after they released their first and only full length, Mission of Burma is back, as strong as ever. And from where I'm sitting, it was well worth the wait.