Veteran Australian rockers Midnight Oil return to form on Capricornia, their first release on Minnesota label Liquid Records. Much more Earth Sun Moon than Redneck Wonderland, the album follows the established Midnight Oil style; political statements and environmental concerns built into rock songs, mixed with a few lighter moments.
"Golden Age" gets things started, a commentary on the need to get outside and away from the TV, a call to think for oneself. "Too Much Sunshine" sees the need for change, for the end of global warming, and bemoans the fact that change isn't happening quickly enough:
Well we do the same things that we always do
Nothing changes but the colour changes hue
I don't come to bury you
The trouble is with you...
"Capricornia", the title track, almost REM-like in tone, shows Peter Garrett's voice getting higher with age. It is almost the opposite effect of Bono, whose vocals keep getting lower with each successive U2 album. "Luritja Way" seems like a plea for Heaven, and features Rob Hirst's vocals on the chorus:
Oh guiding light you will shine you'll pick me up
You'll hold me up
Oh guiding light you will shine
You will shine on me in eternity...
I'm reaching out for you cos I still believe in you...
"Tone Poem" repeats the question "where will you live?" after man has cleared the earth in the name of progress. "Mosquito March" evokes the sound of "Forgotten Years" from the Blue Sky Mine album. "Been Away Too Long" portrays the feeling of coming home. "Say Your Prayers" depicts the plight of Timor, particularly the famine and military regime.
Two bonuses to watch for: early editions of this CD include the extra track "Poets and Slaves" and a short movie about the making of the album.
Some groups have trouble sustaining relevance over a long career. Others get ingrained into one sound and become musically dated. The Oils avoid both of these pitfalls on Capricornia. It outshines Redneck Wonderland and Breath, and belongs in the upper third of the Midnight Oil pantheon, alongside Earth Sun Moon, Blue Sky Mine, and anything from the 10,9, 8...through Diesel and Dust era. A welcome return from a group that seems to have fallen under the radar as of late.
4 tocks
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