ARTS Monday, September 17, 1990 *he Michigan Daily Page 5 Midnight Oil makes you dance The Sundays on Monday by Ronald Scott by David Lubliner At was a typically humid, sticky summer day in midtown Manhattan. As the usual retinue of yuppies made their way through the crowded streets on their lunch hour, a band called Midnight Oil was setting up a makeshift stage to perform in the middle of the street, directly in front of the Exxon Building. The Oils, playing in front of a anner reading, "Midnight Oil '"Makes You Dance, Exxon Oil Makes Us Sick," performed songs about pollution, exploitation of mine workers and societal rebellion. As the show opened, Peter Garrett, lead singer of the band, walked up to the microphone and screamed at the masses of investment bankers and corporate executives, "Your dream world is about to end!" Tonight, Midnight Oil brings their act, an volatile blend of music and politics, to the Michigan Theater for a one night stand in Ann Arbor. Although the Australian band was originally formed in 1977, it was their breakthrough 1987 album Diesel and Dust, including the hit single "Beds are Burning," that fi- nally brought them attention in the United States. Their most recent ef- Rort, Blue Sky Mining, went gold within weeks, driven by "Blue Sky Mine," a catchy, borderline pop tune about the exploitation of workers in Australian coal mines. The group's distinctive sound is boosted by its recognizable lead singer. Garrett stands 6 feet 6 inches tall with long arms and legs and a bald head, shaven because his blond , hair was too much of a distraction hen photographing surfers on the North Beaches in Australia. Garrett has unlimited energy, constantly twitching and gesticulating his body on stage while belting out his lyrics in a loud, screeching voice. Garrett is practically a spiritual leader when on stage. He holds noth- ing back in encouraging the audience to join him in Midnight Oil's rous- ing anthems which often foretell doom and plead for change. At the same time, it is hard to believe that this man is a lawyer, a politician and president of the gov- ernment-sponsored Australian Con- servation Foundation. He has be- come one of Australia's leading spokespersons on issues of ecology and nuclear disarmament. In 1984 the Nuclear Disarmament Party convinced Garrett to run for a six-year seat in the Australian Par- liament. He lost the election by a narrow margin but in the process formed a grass-roots coalition of young rockers and their parents, malcontented with the government's nuclear-arms policies. There is no question that he and his bandmates bring their political beliefs to the forefront in most of Midnight Oil's songs. However, un- like other politically active bands such as U2 who have obscure albeit good intentions, the Oils possess clear-cut goals. And just when their message borders on becoming self- righteous, they come back to what's most important - the music - which runs the gamut from reggae to folk-rock to pure pop. Fans need not fear being sub- jected to incessant pleas for political change all night; the representatives from Greenpeace and the Rainforest Action Network keep their booths A t a time when the English music industry is enraptured by ambient house music, enthralled by the idea of Beats Per Minute and concerned with the conjugation of terms such\ as techno-acid-industrial-hip-hop- house, it is a pleasure to listen to The Sundays. With an emphasis on wistfully charming guitar-based pop, The Sundays have managed to both fill a certain musical void and remain on U.S. college radio charts for over two months. Their success has been both immediate and overwhelming considering their first performance ever was in August 1988. Now, just two years later, The Sundays are supporting their debut release Read- ing, Writing and Arithmetic with an American tour that will grace the Nectarine Ballroom this evening. Aesthetically it is an odd venue for a band whose appeal lies in re- straint, understatement and an inter- est in songwriting that is lacking in club-oriented college music. As gui- tarist/songwriter David Gavurin ex- plains to Stephen Holden of The New York Times, "The mood of the music determines the diction of the lyrics." Which goes far in explain- ing,' ...when its sunny outside/ think about the time when I kicked a boy and he cried/ I could have been wrong/ but I don't think I was." The lyrics often suggest snippets of a very English lifestyle - afternoons at tea, miserable weather and the un- derground - echoing groups like The Jam and The Smiths. Vocalist Harriet Wheeler's style has been compared tq The Cocteau Twins, 10,000 Maniacs, The Inno- cence Mission and perhaps more'ap- propriately Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians. Having received deservedly laudatory reviews in Gavurin America, The Sundays have even prompted some critics to tag them, "A Band On The Cutting Edge." If that label suggests something posi- tive about the group it's appropriate, but doesn't it sound so damn Ameri- can? THE SUNDAYS play the Nectarine tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.50, $13.50 at the door. YO LA TENGO opens. -* DAVID LUBLINEF/DaJiy Midnight Oil's show tonight might not be as confrontational as this one which took place in mid-town Manhatten this summer. But it'll be just as fun. 4 9". 1~ and t-shirts in the corridors outside the theater. What you'll find on the inside is a lot of dancing, heart and especially, sweat. MIDNIGHT OIL appears at the Michigan Theater tonight. Show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $20 at Ticketmaster and the Theater. WANTED: STUDENT PHONATHON CALLERS THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO BECOMING A NURSE IN THE ARM! And they're both repre- sented by the insignia you wear as a member of the Army Nurse Corps. The caduceus on the left means you're part of a health care system in which educational and career advancement are the rule, not the exception. The gold bar on the right means you command respect as an Army officer. If you're earning a BSN, write: Army Nurse Opportunities, PO. Box 7713, Clifton, NJ 07015. Or call toll free: 1-800-USA-ARMY, ext. 438. Part Time Employment The School of Education will interview students by phone who will be hired to call alumni nationwide for an alumni fundraising phonathon. $6.00 per hour, incentives, bonus pay, plus great work experience! Callers will be expected to work a minimum of two calling sessions each week. Phonathon held Sunday through Thursday evenings. For interviews, call 763-4880 TODAY!! The University.of Michigan is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportnity employer. ARMY NURSE CORPS. BE ALLYOU CAN BE: I I 1 SCHOOLKIDS' WILL PAY YOU $1.00 CASH TO BUY THE NEW COCTEAU TWINS CD FOR THE ALREADY RIDICULOUSLY LOW PRICE OF $8.99. TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT TO THE FIRST 100 CUSTOMERS- PLUS SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AND GIVEAWAYS TO BE A MMCt lM(elr 5 oph Shou ProductiorS PRESENTS= '4 1 0o 0o 0 0 0 0 0 0 .O pt. 176, * 8pm - dnionb 8aroom I i I