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Though Onoffon doesn't quite top Burma's 1982 masterpiece Vs., it manages to sound like the more-than-worthy follow-up they could have cut a couple years later ... only with two decades of experience and musical detours informing its nooks and crannies.
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Alternative PressMOB have managed to preserve their legacy without tarnishing their origins. [Jun 2004, p.92]
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Shockingly, "ONoffON" is almost on par with that landmark ['Vs.'], clearly the product of the same band operating at top form.
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BlenderFeverish and bruised, dense as chowder, the songs describe danger and alienation in distressed voices. [May 2004, p.128]
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OnOffOn is the aural resurrection of a band that still matters.
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What’s surprising about ONoffON is how different it sounds from those previous two records, and yet how well it follows their lead.
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FilterBy staying so true to Burma's superior style 20 years after it was emulated, it lacks the aura of innovation. [#10, p.90]
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The album doesn't break any new ground for the band, but finds Burma at the top of its game, mixing artful music, intelligent lyrics and controlled sonic mayhem.
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Sonic Youth sound like their cover band in comparison.
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MojoA remarkable comeback. [Jun 2004, p.106]
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Make no mistake: it may be a good two decades late, but ONoffON is the follow-up that Vs. has always cried out for. And as a result, it’s one of the finest records I’ve heard all year.
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Abstract, yet brutally honest, Burma shame the transparent, insecure and phony, reminding us that ideals can be standards.
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These are the songs of men who haven't changed their political opinions or been influenced by a new album since they disbanded. That sentiment makes OnoffON feel like a lost relic in spots rather than a dynamic new album by an underground legend.
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Q MagazineThis shows they've lost little of their sonic clout. [Jun 2004, p.103]
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Rolling StoneYou wish the band would let some tunefulness creep in, but the dozens of riffs, guitar spills and slogans pack a messy, intelligent punch. [13 May 2004, p.72]
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This is the real deal, played by men who haven't lost their edge after a two-decade absence.
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SpinEven more dense and brutal than Burma's early records. [Jun 2004, p.103]
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Picks up, astonishingly, exactly where the band left off, not exactly retracing old paths but branching off of them into new and exciting vistas.
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Maybe if this album had been released in the mid-eighties I’d be falling all over myself to praise it, but these days there’s just too much stuff around that’s surpassed the music here in originality, drive and smarts.
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Unlike the clean, jagged, self-contained post-punk being revived in New York, Mission Of Burma's art-damaged music rattles and collapses, leaving amazing debris.
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The songs here sound as if the tension built up over such a long spell of lying dormant has been released to thrilling effect.
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Tense, febrile and messy, but tuneful and cohesive at the same time. [2 May 2004]
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The WireThe album glows white-hot with fury and energy, familiar yet fresh. [#243, p.66]
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UncutOnOffOn has an incredibly dense, thick sound, and it sags a little in the middle, but Miller can still write terrifically belligerent pop songs. [Jun 2004, p.96]
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Under The RadarBurma seems to be playing catch-up after all this time away. [#7]
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MoB trounce obsolescence because their typical peak moment is a flash of hard truth about a situation, a bolt of clarity about action to be taken.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 11
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Mixed: 1 out of 11
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Negative: 1 out of 11
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FrankRJul 1, 2005amazing
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PerrySep 9, 2004
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WillJul 1, 2004