Dirty Three

Melbourne, Australia’s finest trio, Dirty Three have been crafting articulately emotive passages of post-rock woe and flutter since before the term post-rock even got tagged onto articulately emotive instrumental music. With 13 years experience apiece tucked under their modest belt buckles, violinist Warren Ellis, guitarist Mick Turner and drummer Jim White are still playing at the top of their delicate games, crafting terrific instrumental expressions of yearning, loss, redemption and anything else moving that comes over you during life’s long, complicated journey. Their seventh album, Cinder has a live, clear, off the floor sound to it (courtesy of esteemed producer Casey Rice) that certainly adds to the album’s intimate personality and emphasises the fascinating intricacies of the Three’s expertly interactive playing. And the pleasantries are many: opener "Ever Since” is without out a doubt one of Dirty Three’s most engaging and memorable songs, and, for the first time, there are vocals — Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) adds a lyrical spot into "Great Waves,” which sounds comfortable and natural, as if the Three had been her backing band for years, and Sally Timms of Mekons adds tastefully airy harmonies to "Feral.” There’s neigh a dull moment in sight, and the album’s 70-minute running length never feels overlong, but suitably epic — in a peaceful, humble way.