Tortoise: Classic or Dud

I like Bumps more than I thought I would! It's fun to hear the whole frequency range is given over to the drums, like wide-screen breaks. I wish it came with some notes about how they got some of those sick drum sounds (or maybe it does, it's not like I have the cd).

'millions now living...' is about as interesting and compelling as the genre gets. one of my favourite records of all time. well, top 30.

'tnt' is nice, but a little jammy and unfocused for my liking

'it's all around you' is one of those records that has really obvious merits, but not a gread deal of replay value i feel

TNT trumps all.

I'd really like another album from these guys

Theyve paved the way (along with Godspeed!) for the countless instrumental bands out now. Yay!(?)

yeah, can't really thank them very enthusiastically for that. Although I do like some of the projects they were linked to (Brokeback at times, Isotope 217, Town and Country, etc.)

Yeah. Fuck The Shadows. And Booker T & The MGs. And jazz. And Beethoven.

<i>Fuck the Shadows</i> sounds like an emo band.

Fuck the BB Code

These guys lost it when they got that gtr guy in.

the fact that there's so much of this instrumental stuff out there now gives me a good basis of comparison to determine that tortoise is up there as one of the best of the genre. instrumental, post-rock stuff frequently bores me these days, but it's nice to have a few favourites.

aren't they supposed to have a new one this year?

Yeah. Fuck The Shadows. And Booker T & The MGs. And jazz. And Beethoven.

-- Scik Mouthy, Thursday, March 13, 2008 10:34 AM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Look, captain obvious, I listen to more instrumental music than non. I was just bemoaning the proliferation of b-level postrock bands.

they could have been giants

These guys lost it when they got that gtr guy in.

-- Raw Patrick,

do you mean jeff parker? his solo album 'the relatives' was pretty neat. more of a straight up jazz (rock) vibe.

Yeah that guy. I've heard him play good on other records but he changed Tortoise in a way I didn't want.

DUD. boring band. nothing interesting happening at all. Except for Djed, which is kinda great

djed=one of the most interesting compositions of the 20th century

all these layers of in different directions moving sounds
a mazing, i'm sorry, if you can't hear this ...
well, listen again & again & try to listen more closely

forget about the post-rock term & all of its preassumptions
around it, ... it's just about the music, which is rather ingenious
you'll hear . . .

Either an hilarious drive-by Googler or Louis was working the bong last night.

hey someone has got directions's directions in music for me ?
can't find it on soulseeX ...

man, i think i must at least saw them like a ten-times . . . every time
they blew me & the public away . . .

oh & the term= vibraphone,
you know xylos = greek for wood (last time i tell this on the net :-) )
marimba = also on wood but has some more octaves in the down regions ...

u might have seen them perform latest times around,
with a mighty marimba lumina from buchla !
google for it & be amazed : )

i think u could call me
pro tortoise !

Information No results found for "mighty marimba lumina from buchla".
:(

buchla, the old analog vintage synthesizers branche

http://www.buchla.com/images/historical/don_and_machines.jpg

marimba lumina

http://www.buchla.com/mlumina/images/image6.gif

What the fuck...

I listened to samples back when they were topping the Wire Magazine's year end lists. I've got the albums now, and they're all fine, but underwhelming in the context of the rep they received. Many of the tracks slot in just fine with more active recent instrumental rock groups I occasionally use for ambience (An Album Leaf, Explosions in the Sky, Six Parts Seven, Tarentel, Tristeza).

The Tortoise edge over the latecomers (at least to my unpaid, unsullyed by context, and unimpressively educated ears) isn't really in the compositions, but in their wider instrumental palette.

i just picked up the ex/tortoise in the fishtank session on CD today...good stuff....i think both bands meet each other halfway pretty nicely

'Millions....' and 'TNT' are fine albums, but to me they lost it after.

Are they still around?

yep. i think they do pretty well in europe still.

buchla: http://www.vimeo.com/902069

in europe I know a few people who like them enough to put on millions occasionally, but no one who would turn out for a show.

yeah a friend of mine is sorta friends one tortoise member and i guess they get paid some pretty big dough to go play like a jazz fests overseas sometimes. like basically dude doesn't have a day job.

ive been playing Standards several times in the last couple days, and honestly I don't think it's dog poo. there are some great drum sounds on there and it's nice and accessible enough to play in the background but still worth the attention.

I love Standards.

standards is brilliant

Standards is my favorite Tortoise record, and the only one I've ever really loved. It has enough structure to keep it grounded, unlike "Djed" or something, which is interesting for about five minutes until my attention wanders.

i'm about ready for a new tortoise record. i ended up really like "it's all around you".

Their weakest album, but the material improved a hell of a lot played live.

it's prettier and more memorable than standards, i think. the best tracks from standards and iaay would make a pretty sick record.

unlike "Djed" or something, which is interesting for about five minutes until my attention wanders.

b-b-but "Djed" totally changes every few minutes! you should be the ideal audience!

be happy, rejoice: NEW TORTOISE IN APRIL.

gotta say i hate hate HATED "it's all around you." it's the only one of their albums i sold back to a store. it's like their version of that one Sonic Youth album, the one with "small flowers crack concrete" - just indefensibly weak.

P.S. It's funny how I'm all surprised upthread that people would hate on Tortoise during the circa-2000 push back against post-rocky stuff -- now that that stuff doesn't feel at issue anymore, it's genuinely hard to imagine many people caring to hate them.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/new-tortoise-album-coming-in-april-1003932126.story

the title track from "it's all around you" is great.

is the will oldham covers album worth hearing?

YES!

http://www.staticmultimedia.com/music/reviews/review_1141521087

during the circa-2000 push back against post-rocky stuff

i blame the strokes

If you take Wicker Park to be post-rock central, it was actually De Stijl that seemed to do something -- there was a season where that seemed to be playing constantly in every cafe and bar, and I definitely assumed it was as a reaction to what had been going on in the area, stuff that made the idea of the Stripes strike people as refreshing.