HEAR TODAY MACDONALD ON A MISSION.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer A thoughtful new memoir about growing up in South Boston lovingly recalls Mission of Burma, the imaginative post-punk quartet whose bracing mix of punk, pop, art-rock and avant-garde had a brief but influential life span from 1979 to 1983. In ``Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under'' (Houghton Mifflin; $24), author Michael Patrick MacDonald Donald Patrick MacDonald (born March 9, 1966) is an Irish-American activist against crime and violence and author of his memoir, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie. He was born in South Boston, Massachusetts in 1966. credits the band and other denizens of the original punk scenes in Boston, New York Boston is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 7,897 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Boston, Massachusetts. The Town of Boston is an interior town of the county and one of the county's "Southtowns. and London for saving him from a life surrounded by crime, poverty and racism. The book, a sort of companion piece to the new Martin Scorsese film ``The Departed,'' comes seven years after MacDonald's acclaimed debut, ``All Souls,'' for which he is currently writing a screenplay. Although disbanding more than 20 years ago, Mission of Burma has returned for ``The Obliterati'' (Matador; $14.98), which sounds just as aggressive, dense and melancholy as the Boston group's groundbreaking 1982 effort ``Vs.'' We caught up with MacDonald, 40, on a book tour for ``Easter Rising,'' to talk about Mission of Burma's new record. Q: Were you concerned that ``The Obliterati'' would obliterate o·blit·er·ate v. 1. To remove an organ or another body part completely, as by surgery, disease, or radiation. 2. To blot out, especially through filling of a natural space by fibrosis or inflammation. the original feelings you had for the band? A: I was afraid to listen to it. I didn't know the power they had back then still existed. But Mission of Burma are as relevant to the world now as they were back then. It's not nostalgia. The new stuff is amazing. That's been an issue for me, how to go back in time and in what way. But they've destroyed all the preconceptions I had about aging. Q: What first appealed to you about the band? A: They changed my life. After the first punk groups like the Pistols and the Clash, this was taking it to another level where the music was something I'd never heard before. The drums were almost the lead instrument ... placed right up front. Also, the lyrics were really confusing, which caused me to want to explore them. And they had this cult following, a bizarre assortment of art-school freaks and weirdos, that was highly individualistic. You didn't have to dress a certain way to be part of it. Here's a sample of other new releases in stores this week: Maybe they should've kept it secret that Sean ``Diddy'' Combs sings on record for the first time on ``Press Play'' (Bad Boy; $18.98). Sarah McLachlan decks the halls with ``Wintersong'' (Arista arista (ä·riˑ·st ; $18.98). Vince Gill's ``These Days'' (MCA MCA in full Music Corporation of America Entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Jules Stein as a talent agency. In the 1960s it bought Decca Records and Universal Pictures, and today it produces films, music, and television shows. Nashville; $29.99) consists of four CDs covering rock, romance, vintage honky-tonk and acoustic material. Brit alternarock singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy Damon Gough (nicknamed Badly Drawn Boy), was born 2 October 1969, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. He grew up in the Breightmet area of Bolton, Lancashire, England. He is a Mercury Prize-winning indie singer/songwriter. celebrates God and Springsteen on ``Born in the U.K.'' (Astralwerks; $17.98). Even as her nearly year-old debut continues to win friends, KT Tunstall issues ``KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza'' (Virgin; $18.98), a set of acoustic versions of new songs, B-sides and reworkings of tracks from her ``Eye to the Telescope'' album. Also in stores ``Homage: The Age of the Diva,'' Ren(hrt)e Fleming (Decca; $17.98) ``The High Road,'' JoJo (Blackground; $13.98) ``Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith'' (Columbia; $18.98) ``Long Trip Alone,'' Dierks Bentley (Capitol; $18.98) ``We Are Glitter,'' Goldfrapp (Mute; $12.99) ``Mamma Mia! 5th Anniversary Edition'' (Decca; $24.98) ``Black Aria II,'' Glenn Danzig (Megaforce; $15.98) ``Mountains,'' Lonestar (BNA BNA Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. BNA Birds of North America BNA block numbering area (US Census) BNA British North America BNA Banco Nacional de Angola (National Bank of Angola) ; $18.98) ``Live at the BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. ,'' Free (UMVD UMVD Universal Music & Video Distribution import; $26.98) ``The Return,'' Ruben Studdard (J-Records; $18.98) ``Thornography,'' Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are a heavy metal band formed in Suffolk, England in 1991. They have been embraced and disowned with equal fervour by various metal communities, and their particular subgenre has provoked a great deal of discussion. (Roadrunner roadrunner or chaparral cock Either of two species of terrestrial cuckoo, especially Geococcyx californianus (family Cuculidae), of Mexican and southwestern U.S. deserts. About 22 in. ; $18.98) ``God's Country: George Jones & Friends,'' George Jones (Category 5; $18.98) ``Irvin Berlin's White Christmas,'' soundtrack (Ghostlight; $18.98) CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) MICHAEL PATRICK MacDONALD (2) no caption (CD cover) |
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