tdh Opinions Reviews Breathe

Breathe

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Midnight Oil has always been a very controversial band because of their political, environmental and occasionally anti-government themes.

But since this band is from Australia and they are so deeply rooted there, many of their ideas don't make it across the ocean. I fortunately understand what is going on down under and the lyrics have great meaning to me. To make things even better, this band is very talented!

They have put down some of the finest music from any country, and their topical lyrics make this disc an experience and not just a "listen." This is a band which has paid its dues since 1975 when they were known as "Farm." Even today they play under aliases for unknown reasons. They can be found playing live as "Ebb Tide & The Shore Breakers" or "Jerry Falwell Society." Now we know they have a sense of humor as well as a sense for a politically correct society.

Previous efforts such as the land-breaking "Diesel And Dust" and the overlooked and wonderful "Blue Sky Mining" were so filled with great music it seems almost a crime they never got their full due. Much of the joy of living despite adversity comes from lead singer Peter Garrett. He's an intimidating specimen being quite tall and very bald. He is very educated, and many of the toughest themes to tackle come from his head. He is also a practicing lawyer so he is not just some jerk band leader. This band thrives on sharp, smartly hip and intelligent music.

The band has always been popular in their homeland, and it's a shame we couldn't have been exposed to it earlier. It's a sad commentary that it took a tune with commercial overtones to expose the band to the U.S. via music television. They now have a solid fan base in this country, but these are mainly those who are smart enough to understand where every note and lyric is coming from. On "Breathe," the band has finally reverted back to it's roots and thrown commercialism to the wind. This album which bleeds brilliance shouts out that these fellows will not sell off to commercialism and if the listeners don't get the music, it's their loss. The band was very secure in knowing their true fans, and other intelligent folk, would pull a huge armful of meaning from this one.

Everything on this album shows improvement from past efforts. Solid aggressive drum beats are placed perfectly as well as fine guitar work which rivals the best I've heard. Everything musically here in excellent right down to the subtle yet moving touch of Garrett's harmonica. This album rocks out hard, but remembers to take the time for self-examining yet life-affirming ballads such as "Home."

But what stands out more for me on this album is the band's gutsy move into new areas which don't tap any previous efforts. The first tune on the disc is one that grabs and doesn't let go. "Underwater" is an upbeat groove with a rocking beat unlike past "Oil" sounds. The lyric is not controversial or even filled with any meaning except what one wants to read into it. "Surf's Up Tonight" sounds like a tune filled with frivolity, yet it is a very upbeat and positive cut with a very poetic lyric. After this one-two punch, the album settles down into some issues and tunes with deeper meaning. However, this does not bog things down. Thanks to the fine production by Malcolm Burn, catchy, but not commercial cuts are inter-woven with the political ones which creates a very well balanced album.

As I touched on before, this album is like no other by this band. On close listens, strains of R & B, some folk and even influences of 60's music can be heard. These sounds are worked together so skillfully that it's hard not to just get caught up in the music and forget about the music origins. The final tune, "Gravelrash," an instrumental is a prime example of what I mean here. Although I haven't heard all of the Australian releases by this band, I find it hard to do anything to top this disc. Many other bands would get lost using this many sounds and influences, which goes to show the talent and sheer perfectionism displayed by "Midnight Oil."

Reviewer: Bud Yeager