On ‘Resist,’ Midnight Oil Makes Resounding Final Statement (ALBUM REVIEW)

At the time of recording 2021’s somewhat diffuse EP, The Makarrata Project, Midnight Oil also tracked another dozen songs which comprise their final studio effort as a group. Resist stands as a most resounding final punctuation to roughly half a century of recording and touring, in part because it so clearly recalls Blue Sky Mining and Diesel and Dust. Yet there’s no sense of self-consciousness in this music or any sense this Australian powerhouse is overtly attempting to replicate past glories. 

On the contrary, this LP stands as a carefully-crafted statement of purpose. The quintet sets forth its personal and social concerns, as they did on the aforementioned dual pinnacles of commercial and creative success, with that certain restraint that serves to highlight more abandoned moments. Consequently. there is neither bombast nor proselytizing, even (or especially) during the anthemic likes of “The Barka-Darling River.” Of course, the Oils have taught themselves to be consummate recording artists over the course of their career—often in the company of Warne Livesy, who produced this set—so the contrast in softer piano and acoustic guitar segments there represent their sure command of pacing.

The opening of Resist sets the tone for such combustible dynamics. With funereal organ behind him at the outset of “Rising Seas,” Garrett (fairly) gently intones sentiments about “selling you short,” as if in role-playing a generational confession of abdicated responsibility. But this is before the beat picks up and rises to explosive levels: with Rob Hirst’s drums flanked by Martin Rotsey and Jim Moginie’s guitars, it’s a substantive reminder how the Oils have forged a style of rock and roll as pure as any this side of vintage Who. 

Likewise “At the Time of Writing,” where Midnight Oil’s momentum is even more insistent than on the hard-charging prior cut. Hardly bogged down by the addition of Andy Bikers’ saxophone and electric keyboards (courtesy Mognie and Livesey), the band also hurtles through “Nobody’s Child,” its dense arrangement supplying the setting for Garrett’s caterwauling about ‘beauty, love, and compassion.’ When the acoustic guitar flourishes of “Reef” appear, however, the group sound no less committed now than ever.

Certainly “We Resist” sounds like a staunch statement of purpose. Garrett’s customarily precise vocal elocution precedes a titanic bass figure and synthetic keyboards that conjure images of the various stakeholders involved in global wars pragmatic and philosophical. Never succumbing to ambivalence on the near hour-long Resist, these tireless warriors from Down Under remain acutely aware of the various and sundry parties involved in the worldwide machinations that affect all our lives. In keeping with the band’s discerning perceptions, though, “Lost At Sea” is populated by personages from their homeland, whose struggles first ignited their collective awareness on issues ranging from the environment to ethnic rights. 

The chiming guitar chords at this track’s end only suggest how much (or little) has changed, depending on the context. Similarly, the circular guitar patterns of “We Are Not Afraid,” especially as they give way to taut, spartan cello by Julian Thompson, illustrate how much sense this stripped-down music makes. In its all-original material composed by the band members in various combinations, Midnight Oil’s credibility remains formidable throughout this thirteenth album. As a result, their collective voice will resonate long after the echoes fade from the emphatic piano buried in the mix of this closing number “Last Frontier.”