Midnight Oil Midnight Oil

1982’s 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 was Midnight Oil’s breakout release, thanks to “Read About It” and “Power and the Passion”, two galvanising tunes that take on social injustice and class warfare with storming, Clash-like power choruses. Sorrow and strength intersect throughout: on the circuitous guitars of “Short Memory”, the mournful piano balladry of “Scream in Blue” and the deconstructed reggae of “Maralinga”. Even in the raucous acoustic riffs of “US Forces”, delicate melancholy flows beneath the band’s burning rage.