Published on Dec 14, 1997
Throughout its 20 year career, Midnight Oil has always managed
to weave through different trends of music and make it their own.
Their
Blue Sky Mining masterpiece hinted at the direction U2 took
when they made
The Joshua Tree. Their 1993 release,
Earth And Sun And Moon followed the ‘stripped down,
minimalist’ trend followed by such bands as Nirvana and Pavement.
They retained much of their signiature sound, so they never
appeared to “sell out” each time they shifted musical
directions.
Enter 1996. While Midnight Oil’s fanbase has remained strong,
they haven’t had a huge hit since their 1988 single, “Beds Are
Burning.” With their move to the Work label, pressure on a new
album was minimal. What resulted was probably the most radical
departure of the band’s career. Part
Achtung, Baby, part
Sandinista! and mostly Midnight Oil,
Breathe threw a lot of people off when it came out. Even I
was a bit worried when I saw the liner notes. In the “special
thanks” column, the Oils thanked producer Malcolm Burn for his
“approach and sensibility.”
“Underwater,” the first track, opens with a scratchy, muffled
guitar chord. The most radio-friendly track of the bunch, lead
singer Peter Garrett widens his vocal range on this track while Jim
Moginie and Martin Rotsey expand their guitar skills. The preachy
lyrics of some of their earlier works are still present, but on
“Underwater,” a more optimistic tone is present. “No one can make
her/no one can break her down,” Garrett sings in that track. That
tone is picked up on the next track, “Surf’s Up Tonight.”
Malcom Burn may not be the first choice you would think of as a
producer, but the two worked together perfectly on
Breathe. He made Patti Smith’s grief turn into a beautiful
album that year with
Gone Again. In
Breathe, Burn seemed to push the Oils into taking every risk
they thought necessary. That includes instrumental jammers,
countryish ballads and even a guest vocal slot by Emmylou
Harris.
The country toned “One Too Many Times” will no doubt take a
couple of listens to get familiar with. Coming from a band who
released an album called
Head Injuries and has produced some of the most intense,
urgent music of the 80s, it’s an unexpected turn for the band, but
it works. As does “Home,” a beautiful ballad that is able to fit
two very distinct voices in rock, Emmylou Harris and Peter Garrett
into a very organic ballad.
The familiar Midight Oil returns with “E-Beat,” an anthematic
call for stating anew. “Gonna make amends for the things we’ve
said/I hope that you understand me,” Garrett pleads. Drummer Rob
Hirst makes the song even more memorable with his rock steady sense
of timing.
Breathe mixes acoustic and electrical guitar throughout the
entire album. Though this may not seem too remarkable, it’s
Midnight Oil’s most acoustic album of their career. It is also
their most demanding album for a fan to listen to. The album has no
instantly hummable tunes as they have accomplished on albums like
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 or
Diesel And Dust. It takes a couple of quiet evenings to get
acquainted with the changes Midnight Oil went through in making
Breathe, but it’s personalable enough to merit repeated
listens.
“Bring on the Change” couldn’t have been a more appropriate song
title for
Breathe. Though old school fans may have trouble adjusting
to their new style, Midnight Oil refuses to backtrack to their
earlier formulas. For a band that has been around for over two
decades,
Breathe makes its mark by breaking new ground. They have
gone through another departure with the confidence of a seasoned
band that has made its mark by their blazing live shows. Now, if
their next album is a techno album produced by Puff Daddy, fans
have a right to worry. Until that moment comes, give
Breathe a couple spins and find a band that is still going
strong.