As an all- instrumental drums/ guitar/ violin combo, the music Dirty Three creates is all mood-- dusky, slow- burning, melancholic. It's music for those times you find yourself awake at 4:30 in the morning, still drinking but not getting any more drunk, waiting for the sun to rise since there's "no point in going to bed now anyway." Ocean Songs, the band's third album, initially seems monochromatic in comparison with their turbulent 1996 release Horse Stories, with Dirty Three playing each song at the same heel- dragging tempo. It can be wearying, but the dynamic subtleties and amazing instrumental interplay begin to shine through after repeated listenings. To call Ocean Songs a masterpiece may be a tad hyperbolic, but the term "concept album" fails to convey the artistry and emotion invested in Dirty Three's music.

The ironic thing about Ocean Songs is how dry it initially sounds (in fact, you can almost hear producer Steve Albini pitching the idea: "It's called Ocean Songs, but we're going to try for a 'dry' sound, get it?"). The hollow rattle of Jim White's brushed drums against Mick Turner's crusty guitar strum conjures up images of sand and jagged rock, but it's Warren Ellis' swooning violin, most often the centerpiece of Dirty Three's sound, which makes the sonic desert bloom. While Ellis may create most of the dramatic atmosphere, Turner's understated guitar parts provide an expert complement, while White doesn't keep a beat so much as provide percussive ornamentation to the mournful melodies.

Despite any complaints about the obvious limits to Dirty Three's sound, Ocean Songs succeeds tremendously on the terms it lays for itself. You might find yourself staying up late just to be in the proper frame of mind to listen to it.

-Nick Mirov