 |
tdh |
 |
|
|
Opinions |
|
|
|
Reviews |
|
|
|
Breathe |
 |
Breathe
|
Breathe |
Some bands appeal to the masses, and some are respected by more dedicated music lovers. Only very few artists achieve both of these, and one could certainly put Midnight Oil in a row with U2 or Peter Gabriel in that respect. Having achieved such a status with consistently strong albums over 20 years, and being one of the best live bands on the planet, the expectations for a new album are naturally set very high. Too high in this case, as in this context, Breathe is a disappointment.
Breathe finds Midnight Oil departing from the melodic side of their music, an aspect that had peaked with Blue Sky Mining. While going other places is not a bad thing at all, it seems like they got stuck somewhere on the way, and maybe didn't even know where they wanted to go. Back to the past? Partly yes; the music is simpler and more groove oriented again, but never reaches the natural power and the passion of earlier work.
The best moments of the album are in songs like "Star Of Hope", where powerful bass grooves and drowning guitars give life to the otherwise somewhat dull and uninspired songs. "Barest Degree" is the track that comes closest to a classic Midnight Oil song. There are also complete lapses, like "One Too Many Times", a country song, and not even a very good one. "In The Rain" almost sounds like Peter Garrett trying to imitate the falsetto voice of U2's Bono.
While these remarks may sound overly negative now, this is not at all a bad album. But once a band sets its standards very high, they have to live with the fact that they are measured by them. In a few years, Breathe may be considered a transition album, showing the picture of a band trying to reorient itself. They certainly have the potential to reach new heights, but this time they got lost in the valley.
Reviewer: Reto Koradi