I’m the first to review this?

Midnight Oil gets heavy on Redneck Wonderland. Not just topically heavy, although they usually are discussing fairly intense topics. But on previous albums their songs are usually so upbeat and hook laden that you could easily overlook what the songs’ messages were. On this 1998 offering, however, you really get the impression the band was really trying to hammer the message home- the world isn’t pretty and neither are these songs. But that’s also what makes these songs work. The guitars have never been this heavy or distorted before and they rock with fearless abandon. Peter Garrett’s vocal delivery has never been this harsh, but there is still plenty of melody and feeling behind it.

At this point in the band’s career they had been recording for 20 years, but you would never know it from the sound of this album. This is definitely a fresh and vital sound. My other three favorites from the band (1988’s Diesel and Dust, 1990’s Blue Sky Mining, 1993’s Earth and Sun and Moon) were full of catchy riff rock. The choruses were anthems and the music is layered and intricate. The arrangements could be quite complex, but never so much so that is was hard to follow. On Redneck Wonderland we’re treated to some of the most bruising and raw hard rock the band ever wrote. Both styles work for the band and all titles that I mentioned are highly recommended.

If you’re familiar with the band’s 20,000 Watt R.S.L. collection, it features two tracks from this album. “White Skin Black Heart” and “What Goes On”.

The album’s opener and title track hits you from the start with a hard driving riff that sounds like nothing I’ve heard the band perform before. There’s an ascending feel to the riff that sounds straight from early 90’s grunge. But despite all of the heaviness of the track, you can still hear all of the instruments clearly in the mix. It’s a masterfully arranged track, especially the guitar parts following the chorus. The anti-gun and anti-hunting (as in anti-redneck) message starts the album off energetically. I don’t have a problem with guns personally, but I don’t think most people are able to handle that much responsibility. Too bad we can’t legally require people to raise their children with some sort of values first.

“got you in my sights, spotlit by the fence
If it’s love you’re taking, it’s just common sense
Brick and tile for miles, rolling in the aisles
Rifle in my hand, redneck wonderland”

“Concrete” is another in your face song. I would never have expected the band to use such sparse guitar lines that rely on feedback as much as they rely on actual picking. The histrionics of this track are striking, but it still manages to be quite melodic. Drummer Rob Hirst is still one of the best in the business as he gives one of his usual energetic performances. All around this is a very strong song, musically and vocally. The third track, “Cemetery In My Mind” starts off much quieter than the previous two songs. The guitar melody is a sad sounding little melody but soon it opens up with more buoyant chord strums. The verse swells with feeling and by the time the catchy chorus comes along you’re hooked. The desolation of the lyrics belies the overall upbeat nature of the song.

“looking for salvation in a car headlight
but you can’t have what you can’t buy

tomorrow is better than today
tomorrow is better than yesterday, they say

cemetery in my mind
this must be my time”

The fourth track, “Comfortable Place on the Couch” opens up with probably the heaviest riff of the band’s catalog. But the band pulls back and the verses are very sparse. Once again, they’re able to use two contradicting styles woven together as one. The heavy riff comes back for the chorus but there’s an organ part over top of it that makes you wonder just what the song is supposed to be- heavy or lighthearted. The bridge is comprised of a rolling drum line with some sporadic guitars fading in and out here and there. When the band all comes back for the final section, the drums are more frenetic than ever and the dual guitar solos are amazing. There aren't many tracks like this to be found.

“too afraid to go out on your own
comfortable place on the couch
nature’s a stranger, keep it out
haul away”

Compared to the heavy tracks preceding it, “Safety Chain Blues” sounds downright cheery. There’s a walking bass line providing an almost Deep Purple like feel while being accompanied by a piano. Then Peter Garrett starts singing through a distortion pedal and you realize this song is heavy in a different way. It’s really quite haunting, and when the string section kicks in at about the half way point it’s just the icing on the cake. Another piano based song with a similar midtempo beat is “Return to Sender”. At first it doesn’t stand out, but it’s one of those songs that really reconciles itself once you get into it. It’s got such a great groove that you can’t help but nod your head along with it and the band’s harmony vocals sound great.

The most immediately catchy song is probably “Blot”. The opening riff sounds a bit similar to one of the earlier tracks, but Garrett’s demented Beck-like near rapping vocals draw you in immediately. Wow. Once again I am totally surprised by this album. This isn’t the delicate crooning of albums past. The harmony vocals are again a highlight, but musically this track is pretty solid, too. It develops into easily one of the best of the album, if not the band’s entire career. The acoustic opening of “The Great Gibber Plain” is something that reminds me most of previous Midnight Oil work. It’s much less frenzied than the rest of the album and is an accessible, flowing recording. Throughout the song there are a few keyboard splashes and the band’s new fondness of overdriven bass, but it never strays from being a wonderfully catchy and appealing song. This is another of the best tracks here.

“from the Great Gibber Plain
to the Indian Ocean
from the stones at my feet
to my sawn off emotions
already gone, we’ve already been
we’re free, free to secede”

“Seeing is Believing” is also a nod to Midnight Oil’s past. It features a brisk, surf rock rhythm. Of course, they’re not content to just stick with that. There is once again a delicate layering of keyboards and various guitar and vocal lines. Its galloping bridge section is one of my favorite sections of the album. The chorus is a sweeping anthem and is another fantastic addition to an already impressive album. “White Skin Black Heart” is another fine example of how production work should be done. This is a heavy, percussive track that is never muddied or muddled. The distorted vocals and various instruments are all able to find their own place in the mix. This is something else that shouldn’t be missed.

The shortest track of Redneck Wonderland is the dissonant “What Goes On”. I heard this first as the opening track for the band’s 20,000 Watt R.S.L. Greatest Hits collection. I still think of it as an opening track because it has such an engaging feel throughout. But I’m still willing to wait to hear it this late in the album. It may well be the best of the CD as it accentuates all of the elements of the band to the nth degree. All of the individual performances throughout the song are noteworthy.

“one thing’s for sure that it’s still the same
that young folk die from some noble aim
and they live so fast and they die so young
and we just keep wondering what the hell went wrong
cuz they live so fast and they die so young
and we just keep wondering what goes on”

The album’s closer, “Drop in the Ocean”, is a departure from the rest of the album. The dreamy harmonies and whimsical keyboard line makes you take notice. If you weren’t following along with the lyrics you could think you were listening to either a holiday singalong or some sort of drinking song. The French horn gnaws at you and demands your attention and soon it just hits you how powerful and fitting this song is to the album. It’s simultaneously the cheeriest song and the saddest heard here.

“here comes the nightmare man
he’s got the numbers, bottom line, and sleight of hand
he’s smiling everywhere he can with feeling
for every fallen soldier, every grain of sand
it’s just a drop in the ocean”

To sum up this album is the easy part. To sum up 20 years of Midnight Oil up to this point is trickier. And it would be virtually impossible to encapsulate what the band means to me. But I’ve been a fan since I was ten. I assure you at that time I had no idea of what the band was singing about but I knew I liked it. Now that I’m older I can really appreciate not just what the band has to say, but how they’ve said it. I’m very skeptical about “activists” in general, but I’ve never felt this band was disingenuous in any way. This is perhaps the only band to stay recording for so long and pursue the causes they have for so long without losing sight of their objectives. They never sacrificed credibility or quality for commercial relevance.

This album is simply excellent and highly recommended.


Track Listing:
1. Redneck Wonderland
2. Concrete
3. Cemetery in My Mind
4. Comfortable Place on the Couch
5. Safety Chain Blues
6. Return to Sender
7. Blot
8. The Great Gibber Plain
9. Seeing is Believing
10. White Skin Black Heart
11. What Goes On
12. Drop in the Ocean

Top picks: Comfortable Place on the Couch, Blot, The Great Gibber Plain, What Goes On, Drop in the Ocean

Band Members:
James Moginie: guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
Martin Rotsey: guitar
Bones Hillman: bass, vocals
Rob Hirst: drums, vocals
Peter Garrett: vocals

Additional Musicians:
Helen Mountford: cello
Jeremy Smith: french horn on 12
Robin Casinader: string arrangement on 5
Hope Csutoros: violin on 4




Discography

Midnight Oil (1978)
Head Injuries (1979)
Bird Noises EP (1980)
Place Without a Postcard (1981)
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (1982)
Red Sails in the Sunset (1984)
Species Deceases EP (1985)
Diesel And Dust (1988)
Blue Sky Mining (1990)
Scream In Blue Live (1992)
Earth and Sun and Moon (1993)
Truganini (Maxi Single) (1993)
Breathe (1996)
20,000 Watt RSL (Greatest Hits) (1997)
Redneck Wonderland (1998)
The Real Thing Live (2000)
Capricornia (2002)


Recommended: Yes