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Breathe |
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Breathe
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Breathe |
For a little while there in the late '80s, Midnight Oil looked set to become the great global crusaders of rock, a committed, political band that was actually popular. After all, a band that could score an international hit with a song about aboriginal repatriation was seemingly capable of anything.
Despite a fierce live act and continuing good records, the airplay and sales faded. Following 1993's Earth And Sun And Moon, the band took an unusually long break apparently to contemplate future directions. Breathe avoids the rabble-rousing direct appeals to conscience of the "Beds Are Burning"/"The Dead Heart" period in favor of vaguer lyrical concerns and a murky, almost folk-industrial sound.
The sonic innovations may stem from the production presence of Malcolm Burn, the longtime Daniel Lanois associate who's all over Emmylou Harris's densely haunting Wrecking Ball. Atmospherically, Breathe is reminiscent of that modern classic, and not just because Harris duets with Oils singer Peter Garrett on the otherworldly folk ballad "Home" (one of the record's best tracks). Songs like "Underwater," "Sins Of Omission," "In The Rain," and "E-Beat" are drenched in doomy, throbbing textures, while "Time To Heal" and "One Too Many Times" are the folkiest things Midnight Oil has attempted.
Which would be all very well, except the song quality varies all over the place. While "Home," "Sins," "Heal," and "E-Beat" (short for Earthbeat) are tuneful enough to imprint themselves on the memory, too many other tracks radiate a dead-planet effect plenty of atmosphere but no traces of life. The best songs may be the most straightforward "Barest Of Degrees," "Bring On The Change" (which sounds rather like Robyn Hitchcock if Hitchcock lost the irony and added a powerhouse rock band), and the lovely "Surf's Up Tonight" (harmonies and all) but anyone looking for another "Beds Are Burning" or even a "Blue Sky Mining" will be hard-pressed to come up with a candidate here. All credit to the Oils for overhauling the sound and striking out in new directions, but more of the anthemic spirit would be welcome next time.
Reviewer: Ken Barnes