TORTOISE

Wow, this was impressive. Tortoise is my second favorite post rock band, because while they don't convey the incredible emotion of Explosions in the Sky, they are much more varied and consistent than the others they are grouped with- there is more diversity and experimentation in songs, and Tortoise is one of the better rock bands to incorporate electronica into their sound.

The opening epic is the 21 minute Djed. It starts with churning guitar and various effects before a hypnotic drum groove comes in and the band begins to give their own take on the sound of rythmic krautrockers like Can and Neu!, as guitars and synthesized effects float around uninhibited overhead. Soon, the groove dies, and Tortoise's signature percussion minces as the shadows of the floating ones hover. In an electronic pulse, this section also meets its end, and from the ruins comes a cold, dark synthesizer loop, and over that twangs sparse and mournful guitar. The vibes come in and it evokes the unexplainable emotions that often come from bands labeled as post rock. At 14 minutes, this section warps and twists around itself, making for one of the best moments in music, and out of the wreckage comes the pulse that began it and twirling effects, and this continues until bubbling bass and jazz-like drums mix with barely audible synth, and the song ends. This epic is truly a journey, possibly a life cycle- there's many things it can be, all it needs is a host to decide what that is. It is long and exploratory, but it keeps your attention and never has any "down moments" that plague other makers of long songs. And that's the first track! Thirteen lines of text for the opening epic really says something.

Anyway, onto the second side. Glass Museum is a haunting song that feels somewhat like what the title suggests- being inside some sort of structure, with more shadow than light and nobody around. A Survey is a short, slow song, with chirping crickets and light guitars over the surface. The Taut and the Tame is a more upbeat, straightforward song, starting with their always interesting percussion and rock guitar, before changing midway into something more atmospheric, only to revert to it's original form. Dear Grandma and Grandpa starts with synths and develops into a pulsing ambient track. And finally, out of that emerges Along the Banks of Rivers,the best song of the second side, hose power comes from cold, detached guitar howling over lush percussion and synthesizer chords. Millions Now Living Will Never Die is an outstanding album, and will be highly rewarding to any fan of interesting and unique instrumental music- it's much more than rock, it defies classification. About 4.5 stars, but because of it's individuality and the fact that it's a major pillar of the entire post-rock genre, I'll round it up to five stars. Buon lavoro Tortoise, buon lavoro.

Tortoise is one of the better post rock bands, and one of the originators of the genre. What I think sets them apart from others is that Tortoise's songs are varied, memorable, and not overly long and full of instrumental fluff: You never have quiet, boring moments where the band tries to build suspense but instead just stretches your attention to the breaking point, unlike GY!BE or some Sigur Ros, you can actually tell the songs apart, unlike Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky. And, unlike many post rock bands, they combine rock and electronica into a unique and wonderful blend of styles. High Class Slim Came Floatin' In starts with Tortoise's signature drumming style, and then different synthesizers come in and fight each other over the drum and bass rhythm section. This lasts for eight minutes, which is just about as long as you can do music that can be described in one sentence without being boring, and this song is a winner. Prepare Your Coffin is a relatively short and more rock-oriented song, featuring dissonant guitar emissions over loud bass. Northern Something starts with clicking percussion, and then aggressive synths come in and dominate the song, making for a good short track. Gigantes has percussion and guitars working excellently with shaking synths to create an interesting and good song. Penumbras is a nice short song, and Yinxianghechengqi is a pretty good attempt at a heavy song built around distorted guitar. The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One is a good example of how Tortoise combines unusual percussion effects with slow, low guitars to make an ominous atmosphere not unlike that of Mogwai. Minors is a good electronica-meets-rock song, anchored by twisting synth and guitar work. Monument Six One Thousand uses some kind of electronic percussion effect that, in other contexts and other bands, would be cheesy and stupid, but in the hands of Tortoise it's used well along with murky, atmospheric guitar. And finally, De Chelly is a mournful, dreary solo-synth conclusion track, and a very well made one. Beacons of Ancestorship is a very good album, and it is an excellent addition to anyone's collection. Recommended to fans of instrumental music, good post rock, and experimental rock.

Tortoise have always been band that liked to reinvent themselves with each new album. every proper studio album differs pretty greatly from the one before. this one is no exception. this album sees the band truly honing their sound, the lovely electronic, post-rock sound they have created. this album seems to be a bit more consistent in how they sound, their many different sound come through as one as opposed to the 3/4 post rock 1/4 techno makeup of TNT and the on-off-on again feel of Standards. the band also adds a much heavier touch on this album, dripping with bass fuzz in certain tunes.

Tortoise has to be one of my favorite bands of all time. i feel pretty honoured to give the first review/rating. it's seems to me that they should be rated much higher than they currently are. i do not flinch to give this album 5 stars. they are more than deserving of a band. and the album itself is definitely a solid 4.5

The Brave and the Bold is the sixth full-length studio album by US ( Chicago) experimental rock act Tortoise. The album is credited to Tortoise & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is one of the artist names used by American singer/ songwriter Will Oldham. The Brave and the Bold is a very different album compared to the rest of Tortoise discography. All songs are covers and all songs have vocals ( this is where Will Oldham enters the picture) which is not a regular feature in Tortoise´s music.

The music is sophisticated pop/ rock and bringing in Will Oldham means that his voice is center of the attention most of the time. The album is not nearly as experimental as the other albums from the band, but it´s still an interesting album especially because of Will Oldham´s strong and warm voice. Most songs have a melancholic mood but there are a couple of silly songs like the opener Cravo E Canela with it´s latin feel on the album which is good for the diversity of the album. I must confess that I don´t know a single one of the original tunes so I can´t comment on how different these versions are from the originals.

The musicianship is excellent and it´s so obvious that these musicians know their chops even though nothing really challenging is played.

The production is pleasant and warm. A good sound for the music.

I´m not sure this album will neccessarely appeal to fans of Tortoise regular style, but with an open mind the album is actually pretty enjoyable and some of Tortoise ideas are still recognizable in the music. 3 stars is deserved even though I like their instrumental music better.

It's All Around You is the fifth studio album by US ( Chicago) experimental/ post rock act Tortoise. Another good album from the band but not really an improvement over past efforts IMO.

The music is experimental, ambient and at times lounge jazzy or electronic rock. After listening to the album I´m in a good mood and Tortoise proves once again that they are the masters of sophisticated and intelligent muzak ( I say this with the utmost respect. Please don´t misunderstand this for braindead supermarket muzak). The music is instrumental but the band has chosen to let a female vocalist called Kelly Hogan sing on The Lithium Stiffs. The vocals work as another instrumental effect though and not really as vocals. All songs are great but my favorite is probably Crest with it´s beautiful synthizised strings.

The musicianship is excellent. Subtle and emotional playing all the way through the album.

The production is excellent. Warm and pleasant.

It's All Around You may lack the innovative element of my favorite from the band Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996), and eight years down the road from that excellent album I´m sure the band has found their formula and are going to stick with it. At least it seems that way since the last three albums from the band TNT (1998), Standards (2001) and this album are pretty similar in sound and style. But it doesn´t change the fact that It's All Around You is a very good and pleasant album that I listen to on occasion just like the rest of Tortoise output. A 3 star rating is deserved.

Standards is the fourth studio album from US ( Chicago) experimental/ post rock act Tortoise. While I wasn´t too impressed with Tortoise debut album Tortoise (1994) my respect and interest in the band grew considerably after listening to their second album Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996). Tortoise third album TNT (1998) continued the good development of the groups sound, but added more electronic elements to Tortoise lounge jazzy experimental rock style. Standars take the electronic element one step further.

The music on Standards is still lounge jazzy experimental rock but there´s an ambient electronic element in the music that is much more prominent on Standards than on any other of the previous releases from the band.

The musisicanship is good and even though nothing is really challenging in the music it´s still well played.

The production is excellent. Warm and pleasant.

In my review of TNT I stated that the music on that album sometimes worked better as background music or sophisticated muzak than actual listening music and Standards take that concept a step further. This is the kind of music that is perfect when you read a book or do the dishes. Nice, pleasant and warm music that might not overload your brain but certainly isn´t dull either. 3 stars is deserved.

Released on the 10th of March 1998, TNT is the third studio album from experimental US ( Chicago) rock act Tortoise. I was happy with Tortoise last album Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996) which I found to be a big improvement over the somewhat inconsistent and unstructured self-titled debut Tortoise (1994). TNT takes the sound from Millions Now Living Will Never Die and gives it a twist.

The music is very diverse and alternates between dusty lounge jazzy rock pieces to ambient electronica. But as with the two first albums from Tortoise rythm is an important part of their music. The bass is not as dominant and loud in the mix as on Millions Now Living Will Never Die. There are lots of vibes in the music which gives the music its jazzy touch. The music is fully instrumental.

The musicianship is excellent. A really well playing band.

The production is warm and pleasant and the electronic parts are also well sounding and natural.

It has taken me a while to get into TNT and on initial listens I was not as intrigued about it as I was after listening to Millions Now Living Will Never Die. I´m still more into that album but TNT is a good album too. It might be a bit too long with its 64:48 minutes, and sometimes during the playing time the music is reduced to pleasant background muzak for me, but I´m sure that´s just me and my generel taste in music speaking. A 3 star rating is deserved though.

Millions Now Living Will Never Die is the second studio album from US ( Chicago) experimental/ post rock act Tortoise. Their debut album never really fit my taste even though it had some great moments but Millions Now Living Will Never Die is a much more impressive album IMO and well deserving some praise from me.

The music on the album is generally dominated by the rythm section and what a rythm section that is. Highly skilled musicians. Vibes, organ and occasional guitars are also a part of the soundscape. The album starts with the 20 minute Djed. An excellent experimental track. It´s not that it has many different sections ( about five or six different ones during the playing time) but it never gets too repetitive and most of the sections are excellent. I especially enjoy the what I see as the third section of the song where the drums shift in rythm and the bass comes in after a lenghty break. Very powerful section with a great dark mood. The vibes in Glass Museum and Along the Banks of Rivers gives the music a lounge jazzy touch that soothes my ears and in the case of the latter I´m reminded of some of Angelo Badalamenti´s work on David Lynch movie soundtracks. A Survey and Dear Grandma and Grandpa are pretty short and more ambient tracks which is not my favorite style. My favorite here must be The Taut and Tame. What a great rythmic song. Really excellent.

The musicianship is excellent which isn´t surprising if you´ve listened to the debut which also had excellent musicianship. This time around the songs are interesting too though.

The production is excellent as well. Note the dominant bass in the mix and the dry snare drum sound. It sounds so powerful to my ears.

Millions Now Living Will Never Die is a big step forward from Tortoise debut album IMO and might be worth a 4 star rating. I´m still in doubt though and for now it will be a BIG 3 star rating from me.

Tortoise is the self-titled debut studio album from US ( Chicago) experimental/ post rock act Tortoise. The album sounds much like I anticipated it to sound, so even though I´m a novice when it comes to the post rock genre there´s no surprises here.

The music is based on a strong rythm section with two drummers and two bassists ( it might even be three) ( pretty strange constellation) and most songs have a very stripped down sound. The use of vibes in a song like Ry Cooder gives the music a slight jazzy touch, but most songs have repetitive rythms and very little melodic content ( this is my opinion and others might feel differently about it). There´s also a couple of more ambient-like tracks in Onions Wrapped In Rubber and His Second Story Island.

The musicianship is very strong and there´s some really excellent rythmic material on the album.

The production is warm and powerful. Note that really great bass sound.

Even though the album has excellent musicianship and interesting ideas my overall impression of the music is that it´s too repetitive and too many songs sound too much alike. I like some parts of the album but I can only give it 2 stars. I can´t say that I´m not intrigued and I will definitely check out more of Tortoise music but this album doesn´t really fit my taste.

The sound of this celebrated Windy City quintet is, as always, nearly impossible to pin down. But the futuristic sci-fi lounge beat of the band's fifth studio album offers a preview of what the cooler kids on the block will be grooving to in the 23rd century.

The group has changed and matured with every new release since their 1994 debut, but this album (marking ten years together, quite an accomplishment all by itself) is the first to sound not unlike its immediate predecessor, the recommended "Standards", from 2001. The two could almost be packaged together as a double-disc, which might explain the relative letdown experienced here: after three years, it's a little disappointing not to hear this always innovative band breaking new stylistic territory.

But at least it's a high-caliber rut they're stuck in. The album, attractively underplayed (as usual), is still very rhythmic, built around a variety of percussions: electric and acoustic, analog and digital. Guitars, when heard at all, are used more for color and texture, and the overall design follows a well-established Tortoise tradition of inscrutable cover art coupled to instrumental music of unfathomable individuality.

Sometimes a welcome harshness enters the usually cool mix, as in the throbbing industrial percussion and noise of "Dot/Eyes", or the briefly overamped guitar feedback in the middle of "Crest". But generally it's an even more polished production than usual, perhaps too much so: the bright digital sound in some places lacks the organic warmth of earlier Tortoise efforts.

Nevertheless, it's a pleasure to find such unfashionable music still being made today, and still able to reach a discerning audience.