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Feb 28, 2012Toward the Low Sun is crushing in its sadness, unrelenting in its sweetness and pure aural emotion.
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Feb 27, 2012By getting back to basics and running on their instincts it would seem as if Australia's finest threesome have rediscovered just what it is that makes them great.
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Mar 1, 2012Toward the Low Sun staggers to get that momentum, though it does achieve atonement through progression.
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Mar 12, 2012The time apart from one another has given the band a more expansive sound and Dirty Three have pushed themselves to create one of the most dynamic releases in the catalog.
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Feb 27, 2012The collision of the abstract and the beautiful on Toward the Low Sun affirms the Dirty Three's enduring vitality.
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Feb 27, 2012An album that could be the soundtrack to the most fucked-up cowboy movie yet to be made.
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Mar 23, 2012The sparsity of their arrangements allows textures--the shushing of brushes on the snare, the scratch of the violin, the edge of distortion on the guitar--to shine through.
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Feb 29, 2012Toward The Low Sun may not be as raw or brooding as releases like 1998's Ocean Songs, but it's just as thoughtful and redolent of both location and mood.
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Feb 29, 2012Toward The Low Sun finds Dirty Three functioning at a consistently (and characteristically) high level--offering nine varied and concise pieces showcasing the gauntlet of their past successes, performed with a vitality which decimates any accusation of retread.
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Feb 28, 2012If you're bored with what they do, this won't change your mind, but if you're ready for another round, it's reliably strong stuff.
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Feb 27, 2012To the casual listener, it may sound like a shadow of their greatest work, but fans will find it rewarding.
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Mar 1, 2012It's part frustration, part chase with moments where everything seems to, accidentally, come together in passing moments that strike with more emotional effect than a compilation of soulful tearjerkers.
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MojoMar 23, 2012The [7-year] hiatus hasn't impaired the band's vivid country-gothic grandeur one iota. [Apr 2012, p. 90]
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Feb 27, 2012This is strained, evocative music that is able to relay deep, complex human emotions in very direct terms.
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Mar 12, 2012A reverence-inspiring return.
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Jun 29, 2012It's good, but it's not essential.
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Feb 28, 2012After an iffy start, Toward the Low Sun thankfully picks up a head full of steam in its closing stretch--hopefully, this momentum won't dissipate over another seven-year layoff.
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Mar 8, 2012Be it the ramped-up action of Dirty Three's wildest workouts or the cool-off come-downs that give their music a sense of closure and completeness, everything has a purpose and place on Toward the Low Sun.
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Feb 27, 2012For all the noise and bluster they kick up to start off the record, Toward the Low Sun is at its best when it's an unassuming return, when the beauty and power of the songs sneak up on us.
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Q MagazineMar 14, 2012United as a trio, their talents flare up to blinding effect. [April 2012, p. 94]
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Mar 6, 2012Toward the Low Sun is what the Dirty Three do best: enigmatic instrumentals that redefine the notions of power in a power trio, a three-headed beast that trades off thoughts with nuance and grace, like a Cerebus dancing a waltz, then knocking back a beer at the bar.
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Feb 28, 2012Even during its most melancholic and introspective moments, Toward The Low Sun exudes a fervid, unstoppable hopefulness.
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Mar 1, 2012A few ponderous moments aside, Toward the Low Sun is a thing of many sophisticated, evocative pleasures, and, six years after their last album, a very welcome return.
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Mar 12, 2012There's a familiar elemental tone to the Dirty Three's latest album – except this time the oceanic influence is replaced by snow and sky and rain.
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Mar 12, 2012It's mostly a thing of pleasing lonesome grooves--but there are moments where it sounds like the Mahavishnu Orchestra tuning up.
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Feb 27, 2012Nothing here is neat, but much is very beautiful, expressed in the band's own language, this time with the occasional organ, piano, fuzz-toned violin and free-jazz drumming.
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Feb 27, 2012Their eighth outing reaffirms their wordless eloquence.
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Mar 6, 2012More vibrant and engaged with the world than they've sounded at any time since Whatever You Love, You Are.
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The WireApr 18, 2012The recipe still works. [Mar 2012, p.52]
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UncutMar 13, 2012There are moments of terrific turbulence, solemn quietness and some sadness, but the collection eventually lights on safe harbor. [Apr 2012, p.70]
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Mar 2, 2012It's not hard to imagine these guys having played together for 20 years, as they deftly and convincingly veer from one direction to another.