tdh Opinions Reviews Breathe

Breathe

Reviewed by Wall of Sound

In an effort to shake out the cobwebs, these politically motivated Australian rockers have come up with their strangest and most disjointed album in ten years. Produced rather atmospherically by Malcolm Burn (a Daniel Lanois protègé), and with occasional emphasis on vintage organs and synthesizer sounds, Breathe also finds the band keeping its agitprop lyrical bent to a minimum. As a result, the CD seems like a sideways detour from the Oils' usual sound and style. Fueled by Bones Hillman's fuzzed-out bass, "Underwater" comes across as a Weezer-type rocker, while "Surf's Up Tonight" hearkens back--slightly--to sixties surf music. Peter Garrett's snide vocals seem inappropriate for the acoustic, countryish "One Too Many Times," but he scores with his falsetto lead on the U2-like "In the Rain" and his warm and inviting duet with Emmylou Harris, "Home." Breathe does have its moments, but based on this evidence, it's tough to tell where Midnight Oil is headed, or if the passion and fury that were once its signature have subsided.

Reviewer: Bob Remstein