tdh Opinions Reviews Breathe

Breathe

Reviewed by The Collegian

Originating in the late '70s, Midnight Oil's music has always been riddled with political messages, sometimes overt, sometimes subtle.

Midnight Oil began as a little-known underground band from Australia that combined driving musical assaults with a tight complexity. It took the band a long time - five albums - to evolve to the extroverted eruption of back-to-back hits, Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining.

With radio-friendly songs such as "Beds Are Burning," it seemed Midnight Oil was a stalwart presence in the music scene.

But after Blue Sky Mining, Midnight Oil's music turned inward and moved away from pop, not catering to radio. After the release of two more albums beyond the mainstream flirtation, Midnight Oil is still going strong with its newest release, Breathe.

Tighter, more controlled than other releases, Breathe finds Midnight Oil delivering the same political messages it began with. Beginning with the tune appropriately titled "Underwater," the new album contains lyrical images that juxtapose water-run scenes with the parched heat of the Australian deserts.

Among the album's top cuts is "Surf's Up Tonight." Though it could be a radio single, the song is much more complex than a flimsy hit track. Conjuring up imagery of Australia's famous surfing and beaches, this tune delivers a positive message of "carpe diem."

Straying from the mainly political track of most of the band's material, "Surf's Up" offers a cool relief.

Despair is another topic close to Midnight Oil. On "Time to Heal," singer Peter Garrett, whose vocals are surprisingly restrained and less bleating on the new album, laments that it is too late to recover from the oppression that was placed upon him and his people.

Breathe also shows the band expanding musically. "One Too Many Times" is wonderfully hokey while "Home" features a sentimental duet with country singer Emmylou Harris.

Midnight Oil continues to expand both musically and philosophically. The material on the newest album is handled with an emotional maturity.

Though Midnight Oil had its 15 minutes of fame in the late '80s, it is definitely producing its most personal and intricate music today.

Reviewer: David Schonfeld