A retrospective review, obviously.
In mid-2016, the world was well on its way to the sociopolitical shitstorm that we now find ourselves in. Plenty of bullshit had already happened (and/or nearly happened) in Europe, and the US wasn't far behind. Amidst all of this dangerous (yet at the time, still ambiguous) hullabaloo, a soft warning shot was fired by the frontman of one of the greatest Anglo-centric left-wing political bands in rock - Peter Garrett of Australia's Midnight Oil. It came in the form of his first and currently only solo album, A Version of Now, a title which carries even more weight in light of what the next four years would deliver.
Midnight Oil had called it quits way back in 2002. As this was the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the band found its messages of environmentalism and left-wing politics largely drowned out in a sea of re-modernist nationalism in the Western world. Australia itself was still firmly in the grip of John Howard's conservative administration, and the world would have to wait before America's ride-or-die patriotism revealed itself to be the hollow facade that it truly was. Following the band's dissolution, Garrett dove headfirst into politics, becoming an MP in Australia's center-left Labour party, which eventually took control in the mid aughts, slightly before Obama's triumphant ascension and the uneasy global rebuilding that followed. Garrett remained in politics long enough to see Labour lose its federal majority, which was (again) slightly ahead of the world's gradual shift away from center-left politics towards right-wing populism. The disappointment for Garrett in the wake of his departure form politics doesn't quite bring us to now, but to A Version of Now. And even if the album arrived on the eve of America's nail-in-the-coffin 2016 federal election, it was still exactly what was needed at that time.
The album kicks off with the raw stomp of "Tall Trees", which effectively updates listeners as to what Garrett was up to after he left Midnight Oil, all the while constantly declaring that "[He's] back." It's a thrilling opening, especially since it displays an unusually personal side to a voice that usually preached mass-politics - of course, this is all from someone who was personally involved in politics following his 25-year tenure of fronting a rock band. But that is what is truly unique about A Version of Now, it's autobiographical throughout, yet strives to reaffirm political action from someone that now has experienced the political inner trenches in both victory and defeat. This notion is all but confirmed with "I'd Do It Again" and "No Placebo", and largely remains intact until the album's completion. And it's precisely this type of consistency that makes it a solo album, even when Garrett's hyper-distinctive voice was synonymous with Midnight Oil. It also helps that the music is a few shades removed from primary sonic trademarks of said band. It is neither the surf punk/post-punk of early Oils, nor is it the rich melodic alternative rock of their classic period. Instead, it is lean, raw, and loose - at time even bluesy, but always direct and to the point, never meandering - not to mention the welcome addition of female backing vocals throughout. The closest Oils antecedent would probably be Breathe, released twenty years prior. But even that album - by far the most subdued Midnight Oil LP - still displayed a denser production compared to A Version of Now. This raw approach is especially effective during the album's excellent middle third, where tracks like "Homecoming", "Kangaroo Tail", and "Great White Shark" crackle with a driving momentum while still being surprisingly poignant, which is a neat trick for sure. The only exception to this sonic template is the album's closer, "It Still Matters". The production here is so significantly bigger and more elaborate that it would otherwise be a complete outlier were in not for the fact that it sounds so Oils. The sweeping refrain finds Garrett declaring that there's a "faint hope; there's a light at the end of the road" because it still does matter to him: continuing to fight the fight you've been fighting for virtually your entire life - and just maybe make some music along the way. And in many ways this is a relief, because it hints at the future possibility of new music with old friends.
In retrospect (from 2020 in particular) this sentiment seems diminished: there's less hope (if any); the road couldn't seem longer and the light couldn't be further; there's no end in sight. However, in the months following the release of A Version of Now (and just as American was sealing the art-of-the-deal), Garrett made good on his album's subtext - Midnight Oil reunited. The have since toured their music and message around the world, with plans to release two new albums in 2020. It will be their first new music in roughly 17 years, and it couldn't come sooner because we need some hope... or at least some vengeance.
McS
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