Customer Reviews

Breathe

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before i bought "breathe" i heard many reviews saying that this is propably their weakest album,that it is too mellow and quite boring...But i bought it finally.After first listening i not impressed but it remained quite good album.and with each new listening it became more rich,deep,interesting.
"breathe" is definitly another extremely solid Midnight oil album.These guys are doing very rarely something weak.this album has different sound,raw and dirty.It is an alternative to complex and polish sound of "diesel and dust" and "Blue sky mine". Songs like "Bring on the change","Sins of ommision" and "star of hope" are sinister and full of rocking distorted guitars that were absent on some of their previous releases.
"breathe" features a lot of gems. My favourite tracks are "barest deegree","E-Beat","Underwater" (this one has great bass riff) and absolutely stunning "in the rain" that is one of the darkest Midnight oil songs.
What can i add more,in my opinion this is one of the most Interesting band's work,Peter Garret and his company bring out more experimental sound with a lot of stunning melodies.Give this album a chance.It will grow on you,once you love it you will listen to it all the time. I loved it. "breathe" definitly deserved 5 stars

Following the album Earth and Sun and Moon, Breathe shows the band moving in a different direction. The most striking change is the mixing production and dynamics. Whereas E&S&M is a very sparkling and energetic album, Breathe is laidback and toned down. The production is almost raw, with the drums and bass sounding a bit hoarse. The guitars are unusually low in the mix, and not even mixed in stereo (like normal). The guitars are in the background, with lots of reverb and effects for coloring and atmosphere. So the vocals, bass, and drums are out front.

The band was obviously influenced by musician Daniel Lanois. The colorings and moods that he brought to U2's Joshua Tree and Emmylou Harris' album Wrecking Ball show up on Breathe too. And to further that approach, Emmylou herself even shows up on the album; singing harmony with Peter Garrett on the song Home.

Many of the songs have a relaxed, almost folk quality to them. The drums are kept simple most of the time, making it not even sound like Rob Hirst. There are a couple of heavier songs on the album though, for balance. The heaviest and best song on the album is Bring on the Change. That best captures the usual MO energy. Sins of Omission is also heavy, but slower. Other good and noteworthy songs on the album are Underwater, Surf's Up Tonight, Star of Hope, and the instrumental closer Gravelrash.

Though there aren't really any standout tracks on this album, it's still good as to consistency. Whereas some albums have an unbalanced mixture of strong songs and weak songs worth skipping (i.e. Red Sails), Breathe has a balanced flow of songs that work together as a package. Overall, I'd even give this a better rating than 10-9-8-7, though the production and sound quality is nowhere as good as that earlier album.

Don't expect the usual guitar, drums, and vocals intensity for this one. Breathe stands on its own terms, and should be appreciated for its own unique qualities.

I was surprised to read in a book written by the drummer how the band had a difficult time while recording some of this album in New Orleans. It isn't only a unique Midnight Oil album and my favorite of theirs by far, but a unique album. For me, the impact that the tracks have on me shifts (sometimes "Home" and "E-beat" sometimes the first two)as the ones that affect me most deeply change from time to time. It is never the same way twice whenever I play it; it feels like it's always in flux, and has a remarkable afterglow that lingers when I'm done hearing it. IT gradually grew on me in that weird way where the sound and lyrics of each song crept up into my consciousness, and before I realized it, I found that it blew me away. Only two or three other CDs have ever given me this sensation.

MIDNIGHT OIL's 12th studio 1997 album release, and third to the final album with their amazing vocalist Peter Garrett- is all stripped down with rawness and a no holds barred honest-to-goodness laid back totally rocking and straightforward piece of a fine album; definitely one of their finest moments.
This time produced by Malcolm Burn (who've contributed work on Tara MacLean's THE PASSENGER)-the album may've started tamed down, and may seem to drag on the next couple of first tracks - but it comes to build up once it came around with its 4th track "Time to Heal", dealing with the loss of hope and at the same time the acceptance of what the civilization have become to turned on to - which thematically is all over here in Breathe - along with the other tracks "Star Of Hope", "Bring On The Change", the great country sing-along twang found on "One Too Many Times", and the poignant ballad "Home" that features country-artist Emmylou Harris on background vocals.

Someone have said that the OIL's are coming around to spirituallity after all the trail of spreading around their angst and anger about the irresponsibility of the masses amidst social issues and environmental problems. Such a song given in context related with such matters here is in the latterly mentioned song and most evidently on "The Barest Degree" - emphatically speaking out that in all the garbage and damage that mankind had brought upon into this world, the end will be in the hands of the Creator to hand out the reckoning of balancing out the accountability that have been rendered misused, and all the abuse that is commited on the earth that is lived upon.

The cd album was packaged on a recycable disc-sleeve, which speaks for itself about what MN OIL've often stood for,,, but the music is indispensable in its own terms.

I found Breathe to be a breath (no pun intended) of fresh air from the heavy, synthesized sound of Earth and Sky. In fact, I would place this album after Diesel and Dust, Blue Sky Mining, and Head Injuries in my list of favorite Oils' albums.

Breathe is indeed a "mature" sound; the track are, as always, well written by Moginie, Rotsey, and co but the difference is in the music. They scrubbed off the "heavy" sound and resorted to a more satisfying, "simple" sound which you find in Bring on the Change, Common Ground, Time to Heal, and Home.

All around great effort. If you're a die hard Oils fan, you will find that this album takes a little getting used to. After a while, however, the sound definitely grows on you.

While this album is listenable and enjoyable, there aren't any songs here that rank among Midnight Oil's best, and the music doesn't have quite the intensity of old. Singer Peter Garrett doesn't really sound like he's into it, and while many of the songs sound like they would rock out when played live, there's something missing in the recording. The highlights are "Underwater", "E-Beat", and "Surf's Up Tonight". The slow songs are a mixed bag: "Home", with guest Emmylou Harris, is good, while "One Too Many Times" dives into country and "In the Rain" is just strange, with its amplified ukulele and synthesizer.

1996 album "Breathe" followed the fine, but overlooked album "Earth, Sun and Moon"; maybe the band took this relative failure as hint that a change of musical direction was needed. The previous albums had been very polished and well-produced; "Breathe" has a simpler production. At times quite raw as on tracks like "Surf's Up Tonight", which reminds me of Alex Chilton. Other tracks are almost pure acoustic, and the album is often described as their softest and most folky.

Maybe so; most important, I think, is that fine new songs are there. The raw simplicity of the haunting "Surf's Up Tonight" may make this song the first you really notice; but soon many others are bound to grow on you. The soft and quiet "Home" featuring Emmylou Harris is just beautiful. "Time to Heal" may be the track that comes closest to the sound of "Earth, Sun and Moon" - great song. Other outstanding songs are "E-Beat" and "One Too Many Times".

Could turn out to be their most enduring album.

Breathe is an album that really needs to grow on you. I've been an "Oils" fan since Diesel and Dust but for some reason, I didn't immediately purchase anything after the excellent (and their best) album Earth and Sun and Moon. I am hitting myself, because their last three have been very good and Breathe is no exception.

The album starts out strong with 4 great songs. Though it may sound as bit odd, Underwater is a fantastic song. Surf's Up Tonight is very catchy and the most accessible song on the album. Other highlights of the album include One Too Many Times and Bring On The Change.

There are a collection of weak songs on the album. Sins of Omission is one of the weaker songs on the album but it harkens back to some of the more psychedelic songs on past albums. The same can be said for In The Rain. They seem a little lazy but not altogether terrible.

Do give this album a chance. While it lacks the raw power of Redneck Wonderland and the excellent mix of sounds of Earth and Sun and Moon, there is a lot to like here.

This is indeed a hard album to describe (see other reviews). It is calm, angry, sad, cozy, murky and rockin' all at the same time. Perhaps this is due to the large amount of material the Oils give you here. From the opening one-two salvo of 'Underwater' and 'Surf's Up Tonight', this album is like a rollercaoster ride through many styles and ideas, while never forsaking the agressive, humanitarian approach to rock that IS Midnight Oil. Some listeners seem confused by all these riches. Some have called it slow, country-ish, mellow etc., but I think it rocks as hard as any of 'em (particularly those first two songs, 'Star Of Hope' and 'Bring On The Change'), and the 'mellow' tunes are far from weak. 'Home' is a beautiful (and unexpected) duet between Peter Garrett and the omnipresent Emmylou Harris, 'E-Beat' is a groovy and wonderfully atmospheric song of ecology, and the real acoustic cherry on the cake is 'One Too Many Times', a wonderful song that sounds like it was recorded around a midnight campfire in the outback. All in all, it's as good as any and better than some (I, for one, DON'T think 'Blue Sky Mining' was their masterwork...this album is way more complex and interesting). Midnight Oil, as always, DELIVERS!

A turn back to the roots but, also, something new. A lot of styles in a compact form.

Overall, it is a wonderfull album that clearly shows the maturity of the Oils.

After Earth and Sun and Moon, one would expect a progressive tendency towards light pop (althought it isn't light itself), but Midnight Oil launched this album makes me remember of previous ones, like 10, 9, 8..., Diesel and Dust or Blue Sky Mining.

Also, it is a very ecleptic collection: from the sweetness of "Home" to the aggresivity of "Star Of Hope", the full-of-message ballad "Common Ground" or "Bring On The Change", not to mention the little masterpiece that is "Underwater".

In a few words, a very good proof of the quality that Midnight Oils distils in everything they do, even though it is not a "classic" album.