HORSE STORIES

1996 was a very good year indeed for Warren Ellis. As well as being the year he became a full member of Nick Cave's backing band The Bad Seeds, after some well-received guest spots on classic albums of theirs, it also saw the release of Horse Stories, a fine project from his Dirty Three project. Though the band are a trio, it's Ellis who's the star of the show, laying down emotive and powerful violin solos over the laid-back musical backing of Mick Turner and Jim White. It's an intriguing post-rock sound which puts me in mind of the artier sort of Westerns, and comes recommended to any post-rock fans who like albums with lots of violin.