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Dirty Three, "Toward the Low Sun"
It has been looking less and less likely that Dirty Three would record any new material. Warren Ellis and Jim White left Mick Turner to his own devices in Australia in order to follow their own paths (Ellis’ ending in Paris and White’s journey is on-going through numerous collaborations with other artists). Even though they were touring over the last few years, no new music made its way into their sets. However, the fates have smiled upon us mere mortals as the group finally entered the studio and have returned with another monster of an album.
 
On the trio’s last album, they broke with tradition to record plenty of shorter pieces instead of their sprawling epics of before. They pick up this mode of working once again, focusing on more succinct arrangements but this time extend their range of moods with Toward the Low Sun. "Furnace Skies" at first sounds like the wrong music has been released under Dirty Three’s name as it has a rougher, more aggressive edge; a grinding loop and ecstatic drumming greets the ears before giving way into the group’s distinctive flavor. A frenetic pace runs the players through the piece like a jockey’s whip during the last furlongs of a race. Ellis’ violin cuts through like the weeping of a gorgeous woman as White’s drums rain down like a storm. A sustained organ melody arises out of the tempest to bring the piece to a calmer, if not peaceful, conclusion.
Elsewhere, a more content vibe runs through "Moon on the Land." This particular piece could fit well in the context of one of Ellis’ soundtracks with Nick Cave, albeit for a far happier plot than they are used to. This cheery demeanor is carried further on "Rising Below," which takes all the nautical beauty of Dirty Three’s classic Ocean Songs album but casts all the sorrow and the sadness overboard. I get the feeling from Towards the Low Sun that Ellis, White and Turner are in a comfortable spot in their respective lives. All the pain and difficulty that they put into their work has dissolved into a hopeful, colorful collection of music.
Considering part of Dirty Three’s immense appeal for me was their melancholic but cathartic energy, this cheering up could be seen as a problem. However, in the transition from She Has No Strings Apollo to Cinder to the current album, they have redefined their music without destroying the core elements of what makes Dirty Three special: three superb musicians on their own wavelength. Pieces like "That Was Was" take all the ingredients at the heart of their music and presents them in a way that seems utterly familiar but new, like an old friend who has gotten married, had children and fought with cancer in the years since you last saw them.
It is hard to believe that Toward the Low Sun has taken so long to appear and that such an extended break in writing and recording has not had a deleterious effect on Dirty Three’s music. In fact, it has reinvigorated it to the point where they sound as vital as ever.
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