Dirty Three
Ocean Songs

Release Date: 1998 | Tracklist

Dirty Three are one of those bands who seem like they have some intrinsic qualities about them that make it impossible to fall back on overwrought clichés. However, this comes to no surprise when you look at the niche they have carved for themselves; a Post-Rock band consisting of one violinist, one guitarist and one drummer. Their early career includes songs which would start with a very melancholic tone that seamlessly built to such an enormous degree that the volume and power alone could blow your hair back and leave you stunned in your seat. It was truly something to behold. After their previous release, Horse Stories, ran its course, this Australian trio decided to try something new with their follow up, Ocean Songs.

What sets Ocean Songs (an extremely appropriate title) apart from their other work is that it is a much more restrained album. Instead of trying to build up songs to such gargantuan masses resulting in an engaging and intense listening experience, Dirty Three try to capture a certain emotion; the emotion of feeling lost (at sea perhaps?). Such restraint is not an easy thing to do but they execute it to perfection. Every song on here features very slow and splashy jazz drumming accompanied with a subdued and earthy guitar as the violin seems to aimlessly meander through this ocean of loneliness and confusion with every splash of a cymbal or tension- and-release style chord change. When this atmosphere is brought to the table, the listener cannot help but picture being lost at sea and just floating along with every wave as they come.

Upon first listen, this album will probably come across as nothing spectacular: an album that does not know what to do with itself as each song just seems to go nowhere and takes a while to do so. After subsequent listens, however, the atmosphere achieved is something incredibly remarkable. Every violin melody will tug the listener’s heartstrings and every rise and fall of the guitar and drums will give them an extremely lyrical listen; all of this achieved without an atmosphere too intense for its own good but rather one with control and restraint. So as the hopeful Ends Of The Earth finishes, all of those feelings of loneliness and doubt that are portrayed throughout this album are resolved and washed away making this album perfectly comfortable with itself and a very rewarding one at that.

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4 excellent

Rank: #92 for 1998