Two elements have always worked in Midnight Oil’s musical favor – politics and hooks.
In their early days, they burst forth with an energy rivaling punk bands (even though each member knew how to play their instruments). Frontman Peter Garrett’s spasmodic flailing and look of crash test dummy refusing to drive into a wall would make for unique television viewing in the MTV-era. But the word that has always epitomized one of Australia’s greatest bands is urgent. They are urgent in how they convey their music, and Garrett is urgent in his vocal delivery — attempting to raise awareness about every socio-political issue that comes to mind.
Listeners may remember them best from their 1987-1990 heyday of Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining. Even their biggest global hit, “Beds Are Burning” — as hooky as it was — had climate change written all over it (“The western desert lives and breathes at 45 degrees.”). With the release of their 13th and presumably final studio album, Resist, the Oils slow the urgency down just a smidge but they prove to be no less direct in their lyrical and instrumental execution. This album proves that after 45 years, this band remains one of the world’s most underrated and one of its most dynamic.
Brooding intensity occurs from the get-go with “Rising Seas.” What’s unique here is that Garrett’s halting vocals haven’t aged a bit and the band isn’t afraid to dip back into its own catalogue for influence here. The first half of “The Barka-Darling River” echoes “Only the Strong” from 1983’s 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1; “Tarkine” harkens back to “Sell My Soul;” and “We Resist” recalls “River Runs Red.” But like a true Oils experience, you’re sucked in by melody, depictions of real-world events (or in the case of “Last Frontier,” literal global newscasts); and lyrics designed to slap you across the face. Case in point:
- “Who left the bag of idiots open? Who drank the bottle of bad ideas?” (“The Barka-Darling River”)
- “We better get together or we’ll end up on the roof with a shotgun.” (“At the Time of Writing”)
- “The sky is a mirror of self-interest and greed.” (“Reef”)
Word is this is the last album the Oils will make. If that’s true, I can’t help but think back to one of the band’s great tracks — 1983’s frenetic “Somebody’s Trying to Tell Me Something.” The Oils have built their career journey on constantly conveying the things that should matter most and actually matter most. And, like their prior albums, Resist is worthy of your full attention — please listen to what they have to say.
~ Ira Kantor
