Ocean Songs

Implicit in the music on the Dirty Three’s *Ocean Songs* is a sense of awe at the grandeur of the natural world. The Australian trio reigns in its more abrasive instincts in favor of a sober yet emotionally resonant approach that owes much to classical forms. In a real sense, the album is an excursion into rock chamber music, harkening back to earlier experiments by John Cale, Brian Eno and others along these lines. Whatever their antecedents, these tracks are highly individual in concept and execution, with violinist Warren Ellis, guitarist Mick Turner, and drummer Jim White prodding at their self-imposed limits. *Ocean Songs* is best approached as a suite that moves from a hypnotic introductory movement (“Distant Shore”) to a haunting finale (“Ends of the Earth”). In between are such high points as the sprawling “Authentic Celestial Music,” the deceptively placid “Backwards Voyager” and the intricately textured “Sea Above, Sky Below.” Ellis is masterful at weaving minimal yet telling phrases around Turner’s resolute chords and White’s understated yet vibrant percussion work.

The Dirty Three's fourth venture into long-play territory is easily their most controversial, and a decided change in direction.