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Redneck Wonderland |
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Redneck Wonderland
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Redneck Wonderland |
Only a handful of bands have been able to survive a twenty year plateau and still have the ability to put out fresh new music. With their new release, Midnight Oil proves that they belong in this elite group. Redneck Wonderland is not the best effort from the gang down under, but it does show that the band can change musically over time, yet lyrically stay as hard-nosed and agitated as ever.
A far cry from their last studio outing, Breathe, which was a concerted effort to produce a "more subtle and organic" album, Redneck Wonderland smacks you in the face from the beginning and holds your attention through and through. The first song, the title track, sets the overall electronica feel for the rest of the record and bitterly attacks those Australians who are going to sit back and complacently watch right wing politics take over. The second track, "Concrete," only helps reinforce the bitter, angry stance of the record while the third and fourth tracks, "Cemetery In My Mind" and "Comfortable Place On The Couch," reaffirm the industrial sound.
A slight bump in the road, "Safety Chain Blues" falls a little short, but the Oils pull it back together with "Return To Sender." This is the first song to actually hold back the reins of anger and is probably the best candidate for single the album offers. (Great background vocal harmonies on the chorus really make this song stand out.)
After another slight blunder, "Blot," the almost acoustic "The Great Gibber Plain" is another strong contender for single. This song could easily have fit on one of the band's more popular works, Diesel and Dust or Blue Sky Mining. The last four tracks are strong finishers, making for a very cohesive record, something fans have come to expect.
While this album may not win the band any awards, any true Oils fan should give it a fair shake. The Oils do a marvelous job extending beyond their normal sound while maintaining the great songwriting skills always present on their albums.
Reviewer: Rob Lackey