Tortoise
Standards
2000
Though they are classified as such, I’m not sure it would be completely appropriate to refer to Tortoise as a post rock band. Regardless, they are often clumped in with the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Rós, Mogwai and The Dirty Three. But Tortoise clearly stands out from this pack in that instead of more rock-based music, they create something that sounds like it has been made by machines, not human beings. Influenced by the local Chicago jazz scene, minimalism, dub, ambient, and even krautrock, the music of Tortoise shows few signs of human life. In fact, aside from the names of the band’s various members, little is known about the group with respect to interrelationships or back story.
On Standards, Tortoise lives within their own creative world developing clear, pristine and detailed songs. Standout song, “Seneca” really showcases Tortoise mastermind, John McEntire’s ability with his drum kit. He energetically pounds away and never seems to let up throughout the album. It is obvious he and his band are fascinated with sound and continue to expand their interests melding rock with their far less accessible genres and keeping it all very digestible, more-so than in their previous discography. On Standards one gets the idea that Tortoise is more involved in their own realm of sound creation and amalgamation than they are trying to appease their fans. The human touch is hard to find on this record and thus may make it difficult for listeners to get involved with. The band clearly is more interested in what they are crafting than what the consumers of it think. By the end of the album it’s clear that the listener will have to work out what he/she thinks about the record alone because Tortoise certainly isn’t there to help them. I’ve always admired this unabashed love for the creation process in this band and I’m proud to have them represent Chicago. -R.C.
If this were the soundtrack to the newest Super Mario Bros. game, I’d say it’s golden. Seriously, I can even tell you which tracks would be the water and desert levels. But listened to simply as an album, it’s pretty dull. There’s little in these songs that really grab me, and I suddenly feel far less disappointed that I missed these guys at Pitchfork this year. - Phil
Awww nah. Comparing one of my favorite bands of all time to 8-bit Nintendo music... Watch yo' self Phillip. Well, if you didn't like this one, you probably wouldn't like the rest of their discography. Too bad. Oh, and no, you didn't miss anything at Pfork. Their set was kinda lame but I blame the people who picked their songs and not the band.
ReplyDeleteC'mon Ryan, don't sell yourself short... it would be an AWESOME soundtrack to even the 64-bit Mario game! (You know you want to try playing and listening to it simultaneously now)
ReplyDeletehehehe :) i liked em at pfork and i find this track really relaxing...haven't listened to anythign else of theirs though
ReplyDeletelove this band. TNT is constantly flowing through the hollow space between my ears in the library.
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