Midnight Oil
Breathe

First Appeared in The Music Box, June 1997, Volume 4, #6

Written by John Metzger

Midnight Oil has returned with an album of powerful material that continues their tradition of socially-conscious rock. There's quite a bit of a Neil Young element here from the screeching guitar solo on the fade-out of Underwater to the sparse country twang on One too Many Times and the grinding rhythmic beat of Common Ground. This new element for the band is extremely prominent on this release and complements their own personal style quite nicely. Midnight Oil also manages to pull off a transformation from the 1980-style of U2 on Time to Heal which flows into the 1990-style of U2 on Sins of Omission. The Talking Heads-influenced Home also works well. This release is more accessible than some of the band's earlier works without making any compromises in their integrity. This combination should certainly widen their audience without losing any long-time fans. ½

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Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 1997 The Music Box