Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Midnight Oil, Sony Music Australia, 2022.
Resist is the latest album from the legendary Midnight Oil, and it is the last recording to feature long time bass player Bones Hillman who died of cancer in 2020.
Resist is a magnificent album and if it is to be the Oils final record it sees them end on a high note, going out in a blaze of glory, not losing relevance and fading away with a whimper.
The band has stated that their current tour will be the last they’ll undertake, but not necessarily the end of their music so we may hope for more to come even if we won’t be seeing them perform, as a band, live again.
We have become accustomed to Oils songs acting as a prod to our conscience concerning the issues that are fundamentally important to our existence, such as our continued desecration of our natural environment which is a major theme of this album.
All the usual elements of Midnight Oil’s musical heritage are present in Resist.
The insistent bass of Bones Hillman and Rob Hirst’s fantastic drumming provide an irresistible underpinning to the songs, with colours provided by the impeccable guitars of Martin Rotsey and the impressive talents of guitarist, keyboardist, (and multi-instrumentalist) Jim Moginie.
And the unmistakable voice of Peter Garrett soars above, around, and is entwined throughout it all; imploring, cajoling, querying, and above all demanding a response.
The title track We Resist sums it up perfectly: It’s only through the act of resistance that we can right the wrongs inflicted upon us from those with power and agendas that divide and perpetuate privilege and inequality.
Social change is always accompanied by struggle and resistance.
The songs on Resist are a call to arms and they’re the most consistent selection of songs that the Oils have offered in some time.
I believe that Resist will be viewed as one of Midnight Oil’s best albums along side Diesel and Dust and 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.
Peter Garrett has never been in better voice and few bands can match the power of Midnight Oil.
The Oils are without a doubt one of the finest bands that Australia has produced and we should be mighty proud of their achievements.
I have been to thousands of concerts, seen some of the biggest names in the world of popular music, and I have never seen a better live band.
