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As the price of success, The Obliterati faces significantly higher expectations. Once again, though, Burma succeeds and surprises by playing to its strengths while moving forward.
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Sonic rabble-rousing doesn't get much better than this.
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Last time, the surprise was that after 20 years of hiatus, the band was just as good as ever. This time, they're even better, more cohesive and confident, louder and funnier, still learning from life and each other, and using that experience to create ever more compelling music.
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This is Mission of Burma’s most aggressive and impassioned record to date.
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It's a sound as vital and inspirational as ever.
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The Obliterati succeeds in proving that Mission of Burma is not only capable of a comeback and a return to form, but also has exponential potential to evolve and thrive as a working band.
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They’ve managed to produce the best American rock record of the year so far.
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The Obliterati's first half makes 2004’s stellar comeback ONoffON seem tentative.
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UncutMoB have... not lost a cent of their turbulent, controlled-chaos energy. [Jul 2006, p.101]
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The WirePacked with energy and furious with ideas. [#269, p.45]
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Alternative PressYet another rock-solid album. [Aug 2006, p.204]
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MojoEqual parts bludgeoning Art Brut and soaring pop grace. [Aug 2006, p.94]
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Under The RadarEverything is crisp and fits nicely together to make this a really enjoyable album. [Summer 2006, p.92]
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Paste MagazineMaking up for lost time never sounded so good. [Aug 2006, p.88]
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Standouts "1001 Pleasant Dreams" and "13" wipe down the band's more melodic side, while "Spider's Web" and "Let Yourself Go" sound just as urgent and bottom-heavy as anything MoB throttled 20 years ago.
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BlenderA fierce, arty mix of melody and brute clatter. [Jun 2006, p.141]
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The melodic yet dissonant sea of guitar attack Burma brings to the table sounds arguably more relevant today than it did 20 years ago.
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SpinFifty-year-old men rarely sound this enraged and energized. Neither do twentysomethings. [Jun 2006, p.82]
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So whilst The Obliterati is certainly not a patch on the seminal Vs. - given that it lacks the same magical combination of cerebral claustrophobia and kinetic psychosis - it’s easily more potent than the over-oiled ONoffON.
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New Musical Express (NME)Kicks with a passion and inventiveness that's seen them steam up the specs of everyone from Moby to Graham Coxon. [17 Jun 2006, p.39]
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The Obliterati just sounds like the new Burma album.
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Q MagazineThese broiling drum-led riffs offer curdled cries, much volume and even humour. [Aug 2006, p.113]
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The Obliterati is underwhelming not because it's bad, or weak, or mediocre, because it's none of those: it's just not essential.
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The first business-as-usual Burma release.
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What really lifts this out of the ordinary is the undeniable craft that has gone into the song writing.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 14 out of 16
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Mixed: 0 out of 16
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Negative: 2 out of 16
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ThomGDec 5, 2006Almost as good as Vs.
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BrendanDJun 30, 2006
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CalmeaTJun 29, 2006Great album! I'd give it an 11 if I could. Way better than OnOffOn and up there with Vs.