In their first incarnation, Mission of Burma existed a mere four years, from 1979 to 1983. They were barely known outside of their hometown, Boston. They never sold more than a few thousand records.
For indie-rock fans of the early '80s, however, the sort who ferreted out obscure fanzines and listened obsessively to college radio, Mission of Burma always loomed large. Their abrasive sound was a tonic after the synthesized, air-brushed new wave that was then popular. The complex structures lurking beneath the noise welded the cathartic simplicity of punk with the more experimental innovations of free jazz and modern classical music.
When the group reunited for a tour in 2000, rabid fans crisscrossed the Atlantic to witness the gigs in the States and Britain. Their new record, "ONoffON," only their second full-length album to date, has had critics in raptures. Like the Velvet Underground or Faust, Mission of Burma, it seems, were simply before their time.