C/D ::: Tortoise's TNT

23 years ago!

(aside from the A Lazarus Taxon b-sides/remixes collection, which I listened to a ton).

Listening to 'Waihopei' and the way the blown-out acoustic drums keep popping in and out of the track around the drum machine, man, I tried to rip that off many times in the mid '00s.

(I remember Bundy being this more mysterious figure; I have no idea what became of him.)

I really like the Directions in Music album he did. Sort of post-classic-rock.

― Position Position, Monday, February 18, 2019 4:49 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is perhaps my favorite record of the whole scene/time, love all the dubby textures sitting with acoustic guitars. all the musicians on it sound great.

i remember reading a long time ago that Brown was working as an EMT.

also, because of this thread i listened to the For Carnation s/t album for the first time. i had the marshmallows cd back in the day and never liked it much, but this record is great!

That s/t For Carnation is a lost classic. Kinda like Spiderland or a Low record - if you settle yourself in and embrace its mood, it’s pretty brilliant.

I hope someone records the TNT set, would love to hear that

Guess I'm the only person who really liked The Catastrophist?

(I like every Tortoise album btw)

― Paul Ponzi, Sunday, February 17, 2019 8:09 AM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It was superb. Aside from Grouper, nothing else I saw this weekend came close. They were very tight and cohesive and brought a good amount of energy to the performance.

As someone who never got to see them perform in their heyday, it certainly transformed the way I think about TNT from a headphones/studio/post-production album - mostly driven by its stop-start rhythms and shifting styles - to an actual composition that could translate to the live stage.

...how many shows did you go to over the weekend?

Festival?

https://midwinter.pitchfork.com/

the for carnation album is indeed a wondrous thing. Hopefully it one day will be rediscovered

Brian McMahon whispering 'who did this to us?' at the end of Moonbeams is one of the most heartstopping moments in all of music.

many xps, but whoever posted Parker playing "TNT" upthread should realize that he flubs the riff (or plays it intentionally loose to the point of a flub?).

Here's Pajo playing "Gamera" (a song BKB wrote for the band) live on baritone guitar, almost sounds like a preclude to "TNT":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYdWHwnWxD0

Go to 3:48 on this track for a very similar riff to the one played on TNT, recorded around the same time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Avr7Y23GgA

Yeah, I know what Pajo sounds like. It's possible that he wrote the riff (especially based on the article posted above) but I believe it's Parker playing it. Hearing those clips again only further convinces me -- the tone on TNT doesn't sound like Pajo.

I call him "PJ" we have a great vibe

What is the correct pronunciation of Pajo's name? Asking for a friend.

PJ's cool about it Pah-jo, Pa-ho it's just letters and sounds

'Dave'

I mean, I know we all have bad days.... but listening to Parker here is like a jr. high school cover band sitting in, just can't hear him as author of that riff (esp as I've yet to hear him play it "right"!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIkdcYdSfg

xp: pa-ho.

Huh, I think he's just picking the wrong time to be a jazz dude about it. I mean, he starts playing it straight once the whole band comes in (2 min).

This seems relevant to recent discussion:

'imagine a graphic showing all the bands the five members of Tortoise were in' reminded me of this 'a beautiful mind'-esque diagram @WNUR893 gave out to all the freshmen DJs when i was at NU :-) pic.twitter.com/ACAH4KIfFr

— arielle (@reallygordon) February 17, 2019

omg memories
whoa

i feel like there is an extra wing of/appendix to that diagram for all of the jazz/improv stuff happening at the time. very fruitful chicago period!

probably also missing a lot of stuff
also (eleventh dream day) too small

chicago is always fruitful, what am i saying

i feel like something like that chart actually existed online in the late '90s, can't imagine where i saw it, tho

Ah, here it is -- a "Squirrel Bait Genealogy"

http://www.chimpomatic.com/file-uploads/large/squirrelbait_family_tree.jpg

And then apparently David Grubbs made his own version more recently:

https://www.paynomindtous.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/squirrel_bait_band_family_tree.jpg

Always been a big Tortoise fan but I was a kid/teen during this period and hadn't delved into all these offshoots and related acts. This thread has been super rewarding the past few weeks.

Tortoise genealogy on BandtoBand

Pitchfork shared the entire Midwinter set of TNT I mentioned above.

https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-tortoise-perform-tnt-in-full-at-pitchfork-and-the-art-institute-of-chicagos-midwinter/

https://youtu.be/EwJf5fw57Yo

Wow, thanks for that!

nice, i grabbed an aud of the set off dime and it was a fun listen

I saw John McEntire perform solo a few days ago and it was excellent. First time I'd seen him in any capicity since the mid-90s. Kind of an interesting rig (it's posted on his IG if you follow him).

i listened to the first savath and savalas album today for the first time. parts of it really reminded me of TNT.

Loving this pfork set, it warms my heart to see all those old dudes playing this music

me too!!
that was one of the things i enjoyed about seeing the video :)

i find myself very distracted by mcentire’s chest tattoos.

lol @ playing their own vinyl for 'Almost Always is Nearly Enough', I wondered how they were going to do that (was hoping for sample pad jams).

that pfork set is goddamn astonishing

I bought this on CD for 4 bucks the other day cuz of this thread *thumbs up* a few friends of mine in HS owned it and played it a lot. The mournful melodica track towards the beginning always made me feel cold and lonely but I'm digging it more now.

The Reichian stuff too.. that annoyed me back then for some reason but I'm liking it now

that pfork set is goddamn astonishing

― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Wednesday, March 20, 2019 5:07 PM (four hours ago)

...except for McCombs on "The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls"... oof. Brutal. Went into a deep flubberage mode and never really got out of it.

Just found that Savath and Salas album for £4 on eBay. Good love the internet; god love Chicagoan post-rock.

Who is the sixth player in that pitchfork set (not counting horns and strings)? One youtube commenter said it's Bundy K Brown.

James Elkington, he was in Brokeback & 11th Dream Day.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/458195-James-Elkington?filter_anv=0&subtype=Instruments-Performance&type=Credits

The guy on bass here:

https://i.imgur.com/I3XqiE5.jpg

...except for McCombs on "The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls"... oof. Brutal. Went into a deep flubberage mode and never really got out of it.

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, March 20, 2019 9:21 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i didn't really notice

xp - thanks!

36:28 is when it starts (about 3 seconds of flubs... he immediately loses all looseness and starts playing stiffer)
then the arpeggiations at 37:35 are flubbed
when he comes back in at 38:07 he starts a series of flubs which sets off a total technical breakdown through the following 30 seconds (!), and while he's struggling to recover, thankfully the end of the song comes before soon.

i spotted doug mccombs at a voivod/yob show on wed night
that guy can't hide anywhere

also ilx tortoiseheads should know that he is also in a new trio called Black Duck with two other chicago people you should check out (MacKay/McCombs/Rumback)

Black Duck is an enigmatic & electric new outfit out of Chicago that features Douglas McCombs and Bill MacKay on guitars, and Charles Rumback on drums. The trio’s propulsive psych-inflected grooves and ethereal improvisations have found enthusiastic favor with fans of varied temperaments and motivations.

man, I've seen Doug McCombs at Whole Foods

I interviewed Doug McCombs back in the day - in a pub on the Grays Inn Road, one of only three interviews I ever did in a shit career move that never quite happened. He was easy company. We spent most of the time talking about ATP wankers and Arnold Odermatt.

That is my Doug McCombs story.