- Audio CD (17 Feb 2003)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Bella Union
- ASIN: B000087LP3
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 168,866 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Alice wading |
| 2. She has no strings |
| 3. Long way to go with no punch |
| 4. No stranger than that |
| 5. Sister let them try and follow |
| 6. She lifted the net |
| 7. Rude (and then some slight return) |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
They might be few in number, but on She Has No Strings Apollo, the dirty three whip up a bleak, foreboding instrumental storm that's at least the equal of fellow travellers Godspeed You Black Emperor or Do Make Say Think. Fronted by Warren Ellis--the violinist for Nick Cave's backing band The Bad Seeds--this band of Australian avant-rock veterans twist traditional-sounding folk music into dark, desperate instrumental vignettes that reel with distortion and feedback. The territory covered in the ferocious, seven-minute "No Stranger Than That" will be immediately familiar to any fan of The Bad Seeds--so much so that you're constantly expecting Cave himself to suddenly sweep in with his coffin-deep baritone. But tracks like "She Lifted the Net" and "Long Way to Go With No Punch" roll free of conventional structure, slowly unfolding laments that show-off drummer Jim White as a very talented improviser. And it would be a crime not to mention guitarist Mick Turner, whose desiccated minor-key guitar lines provide a pale bulk to these elegantly sad songs. --Louis Pattison
Album Description
"She Has No Strings Apollo" finds the band firing on all cylinders. In some respects this is a darker, edgier recording than much of their previous work. A wayward, reckless spirit runs throughout the album and the music often erupts, with breathtaking results. Yet "She Has No Strings Apollo" also possesses a mournful, melancholic beauty. Like a sonic description of some desolate, windswept place evoking a sadness beyond words
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
With "She Has No Strings Apollo" sometime Nick Cave collaborators Dirty Three are occupying a similar musical landscape to bands such as the Velvet Underground, Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Mercury Rev.
The band are a essentially a trio of guitar, electric violin and drums and their latest release, "She has No Strings Apollo" is a collection of dark, atmospheric instrumentals that gradually weave their way into your consciousness. I bought this on the strength of the "In the Fishtank" collaboration with Low and hearing some of the album on the radio and initially I was disapointed but perserverance - this album is very different from the work with Low - but repeated listenings paid off. Often intense, this is an album that needs to be listened to not stuck on in the background. The mood varies from the pastoral of 'Long Way To Go With No Punch" to the intensity of tracks such as "She Has No Strings" and "Rude (and Then Some Return)" and the fragile beauty of "No Stranger Than That' with its gently plucked violin.
Buy "She Has No Strings Apollo" if you're lookking for something different that is both challenging and refreshing.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Junkmedia Magazine Review
18 Feb 2003
Format:Audio CD
When an artist deals in a limited palette, especially for as long as the Dirty Three have, any minor change is bound to be seen as a major revelation (and occasionally, as a welcome surprise).
For those unfamiliar with the band in question, they might be summed up as such : a classically trained violinist with no hang ups about proper "tone", an unconventional guitarist with a predilection towards drones and a percussionist who more often than not plays his kit with assorted rattles and mallets as opposed to plain vanilla drum sticks. The trio play mournful old world ballads that are continuously upended by a serious urge to freak out.
She Has No Strings Apollo may very well be Dirty Three's greatest accomplishment to date, at least since 1996's classic Horse Stories. The dreary repetitive grind that was Ocean Songs and the limited instrumental palette of Whatever You Love, You Are have been replaced with what one could guardedly call a sense of variety. Keep in mind, this is still the Dirty Three we're talking about, so it's not that much different than their other releases, but it is a bit more varied.
The opening strains of bowed violin and plaintive guitar picking may sound familiar enough, but once the band establishes its groove -- complete with overdubbed pizzicato violin, distorted guitar chords and looped background arpeggiated motifs -- you'll know something has changed. Overdubbing is nothing new for the trio. Whatever You Love, You Are featured Warren Ellis's dueling overdubbed violin lines on a number of tracks. But on this here platter the band has decided to add instruments heretofore absent from their arsenal. Piano, organ and bass all make an appearance alongside the usual guitar, violin and trap set.
The first track "Alice Wading", starts off sprightly enough, and only continues to build momentum until the inevitable climax. The most surprising thing about this album, however, is the groups' newfound embrace of varied rhythms. Granted there are plenty of the pre-requisite dirges and wailing drones propelled along by Jim White's free form drumming style that typify the Dirty Three sound, but there is an energy here that seems lacking on their last few releases.
In other developments, "Long Way To Go With No Punch" may actually be the single sweetest melody ever written by the trio, complete with simple piano figures and minimal, almost orchestral drumming. Personally, the biggest shocker for me was the closing cut "Rude (and then some slight return)", in which the band starts off playing one of its trademark rubato, mournful, rustling percussion dirges. But when the proverbial "chorus" kicks in ... it's straight four-on-the-floor with crunchy guitar chords from Mick Turner and all that it implies -- straight up rawk. It is as surprising in its straight forwardness as in its effectiveness.
For those unfamiliar with the band's work, this is the perfect place to dive in. For those that already have a fondness for them, this will not disappoint.
-- Troy Collins
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Swirling, lovely
24 July 2003
Format:Audio CD
I'm having a hard time getting this out of my cd rotation. "She Has No Strings" is about the most compelling violin music I've ever heard. The sound violinist Warren Ellis produces is so, so sad. Aching, sorrowful. Guitarist Mick Turner's guitar companion piece, which near the end overtakes the violin, cries for release. At the end, both violin and guitar are weeping. Jim White's drumming on this is almost militaristic, but perfect for keeping everything tightly together.
This was my first exposure to Dirty Three and I have to say, I like what I hear. Rich, emotive storytelling music without the words. Try it.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Powerful
22 Feb 2003
Format:Audio CD
The first time I listened to this cd I thought it was unimaginative and tedious but all it took was a second listen to realize it may be the best thing they've done so far. The title track in particular is amazing. I am a courier at night and this cd never left the player for the whole 8 hours of my shift. My only gripe is that it didn't have more songs on it. A band should be forbidden from releasing two 7 song albums in a row but this one is so good i'll forgive them.
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