DIRTY THREE CINDER TOUCH AND GO

This Australian trio have been spoiling fans of thoughtful, instrumental, this-and-that-and-a-violin music for the past decade. It’s become all too easy to take for granted the ease with which violinist Warren Ellis, guitarist Mick Turner, and drummer Jim White deploy their unique, vaguely avant folk-rock. Cinder brings Mekon Sally Timms in on the action to sing the dulcet "Feral," and hands the reins to Chan "Cat Power" Marshall on the melancholy "Great Waves," for which she provides both lyrics and vocals. The cameos provide amiable interludes. But Dirty Three have a more important fourth member: silence. The trio, particularly White, have an ear for perfect pauses. Busier fare, such as "She Passed Through," a spacey funk jam with Hammond organ, "Doris," which reaches anthemic heights as bagpipes whirr and drums pound, and the fevered gypsy-flavored "The Zither Player" (inspired by Hungarian fiddler Felix Lajko) seem carefully placed to highlight quieter songs. For Dirty Three, less — and lonely — really is more.

Dirty Three + Chris Brokaw | Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston | Oct 16 | 617.369.3300