Whatever You Love, You Are

Ocean Songs On Ocean Songs, guitarist Mick Turner strums in grand and mournful sweeps while violinist Warren Ellis draws a rough, heart-pulling bow. On top, David Grubbs bumps lonely on his tom while keeping time with scratchy snare whispers and flickering tips and taps on the cymbals. It's ...	Horse Stories Though they're a small band--with only three members, that is--Australia's Dirty Three play music about big things. Are these songs really, as the title suggests, horse stories? (For that matter, was Ocean Songs really about the sea?) Well, the tunes don't gallop, or even canter....	Cinder Unlike past recordings where the band tried to capture their live potential, this time they thought about how they might perform the songs later. As such, the tracks on "Cinder" are much shorter, trimmed down, and classic in composition. Sally Timms (Mekons) and Chan Marshall added guest vocals.	She Has No Strings Apollo The esoteric wistfulness of Australian instrumentalists Dirty Three once again shines on She Has No Strings Apollo, though something's changed for the trio. Here their melancholic sensibilities aren't subjected to chaotic outbursts, as in the past. Anchored by drummer Jim White's...	Dirty Three Instrumental rock has always been best left to the fringe. Avoiding words to tell ideas, these bands convey meaning with a whole other vocabulary--a lexicon to which few can relate. It's not for the literal-minded, nor for the easily distracted. When it's not successful (most tim...
Sad & Dangerous	In the Fishtank Low are well-practiced in the art of using less to inspire more. Their minimal indie-rock melodies create somber moods with sparse instrumentation. Every chord, staggered drum beat, or note from front woman Mimi Parker's voice hangs in the air with the importance of a slow-motion...	Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun	Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust Inspired by the unfettered feeling of the acoustic performances filmed during Heima, Sigur Rósadopted a looser approach in creating their fifth album Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust.The album consequently is fresher and more human than anything they ve previouslyrecorded.Ro...	The Hawk Is Howling Mogwai's sixth album continues to showcase the fiercely layered guitars and dynamics of their classic work, and features a new array of rhythms and melodies. These hint more than ever before at their electronic and metal influences. Not only do they remain masters of the eloquent...

Needs to be more .... than this for me to listen
This music presents boring and familiar concepts to my ears. It's more about a casting a spell of currently hip-depresso atmosphere and setting a dirgelike pace that, combined, is supposed to create interest or emotion,but musically it is unsophisticated and that is not because it has a country taste, either - some country is quite clever and authentic. Maybe I've heard too much music but this is like listening to someone's bad music recital.

Love at first site...
This record has the unfortunate distinction of being one that I liked way too much on first playing. Most of The Dirty Three's output has to slowly grow on me in order to deepen my appreciation for it but this one hit me as a grand, beautiful miasma of sound immediately and as a perhaps bizzare result it doesn't get as much play as my other D3 disks.That isn't to say that it isn't a wonderful record and the Dirty Three are without a doubt one of my favorite bands of all time.This record lacks the violence of "Horse Stories" and the spiritual confusion of "Ocean Songs". These may be good things for the future but it was the violence and the confusion that made their other records so enjoyable. Keep in mind when I first bought this one I fell in love with it.Let me put it this way, this may be one of the greatest albums of all time it's just isn't (in my opinion) the greatest Dirty Three record of all time. I can't wait for their next album!!

ew
this is one of the worst cds i've ever made myself sit through. i can normally find something to enjoy on any cd, but this was hell to listen to.i'm bummed out, i was excited to get it--but it ....the band 'low' seems to be the only group good at this type of thing. i will never listen to this cd again. i almost want to destroy it. *cry

3 guys and a whole lotta beautiful noise
Dirty Three create quite a dense sound despite being only 3 men thick. The center of the album is definitely the violin, but the guitar and drum are not neglected in terms of importance...they strum and beat along the underlying melodies while the violin soars and dips, wails and cries. There really are no need for lyrics in these songs because the instruments sing beautifully. You can hear the tortured bliss of Ellis' violin, the longing of Turner's guitar, the White's lazy yet attentive drums (which occasionally explode along with the rest of the music). There are completely natural elements alive in these songs and then there are effects employed that give the sound a more dynamic feel. This is perfectly executed in the third track "I Offered It Up To the Stars & the Night Sky". The song begins with a single violin crying out a cracking melody, and little by little loops of other violins are added in, until at about the 1:15 mark there are about 5 different layers of violins all playing off one another...the song then abruptly changes course for about 4 minutes, while keeping the with the theme, until the multi-layered violins come back to blast your ears with layers upon layers of beauty....one of my favorite songs of all-time. this is extremely affecting music. And, if for no other reason, buy this album for the artwork. Turner's use of thick brushstrokes and gobs of color, reminicient of Van Gogh, creates an emotional feel that together with the music fleshes out the album's distinctly expressive personality.

Good, but somewhat less approachable than Horse Stories
Superb string sounds -- listen to it on a better stereo and you'll discover the most amazing harmonics and string noise.There's something more heavy or gritty about this disk compared to other Dirty Three work. Horse Stories is an easier albulm to start with.