TORTOISE

The beginning track 'Seneca' however, does not reflect the overall movement to a more minimal sound as it begins with thick layers of rolling drums, crashing cymbals and thick guitars. After a 2 minute introduction in this manner, a heavy drum pattern is emphasized and the track settles in to this strange groove with an almost retro organ sound and a somewhat tricky, yet percussive guitar pattern. Strange squeaky sounds come in during a section when the music quiets, then the heavier organ and guitar return. It's a bit noisy and rough sounding, but not to the point of abrasiveness. This fades and leaves us with a droning synth and hand clap effects among other strange effects. 'Eros' then makes fun of the last guitar riff, then settles into electronic and organic tonal percussion. This is where the bands playfulness and ingenuity really takes off as they manipulate sounds and play with layering. The music never becomes boring here, but sounds nothing like the post-rock you have heard before. It's like they have taken all of the formulas of popular music and disassembled them only to build them back together into something fresh and exciting. Parital melodies seem to swirl around odd sounds and effects. This was the new style they were now exploring.

'Benway' sounds like a stripped down and manipulated electronic study. Again, only hazy semblance of melodies try to take hold, but to no avail. Finally, around the 3 minute mark, a jazz-tinged style comes in and things sound similar to 'TNT', however, the band sees to it that it gets interrupted by complex fills and break downs. But it all develops again only to get destroyed again at which point it suddenly ends. 'Firefly' uses manipulated guitar sounds and minimal droning to create an ambient track unlike anything else. The sounds are approaching an art-style experimentalism, and again, melodies try to take hold, but just don't quite succeed. It makes for an interesting sound. 'Six Pack' suddenly takes over as the music continues to flow, and goes for an upbeat, percussive sound with spaghetti-western style guitars, vibes and other percussive instruments turn this into a lighter and happier track. It's as if to say, don't take it all too seriously because it's all just for fun when it's all said and done. Once again, melodies are ignored to allow patterns and sounds take the spotlight, and the music is all built off of that.

'Eden 2' goes for a heavy drum and bass style track with funky synths and etc. Again, the use of typical melodies is ignored for the sake of experimenting with patterns and hints of jazz sensibilities. 'Monica' goes for an interesting r&b sound, adding more funk and slithering drum effects. The drums get a bit more disjointed and noisy as it goes on while the bass continues with the simple melodic pattern. Things get more complicated as it continues and beats and sounds morph into strange effects and manipulations. 'Black Jack' begins with it's odd-normal style with a simple feel, but later becomes more structured, having a loungy, European sound. The music is more melodic here with the use of keys, synths and percussion. Guitars build as things continue, and the contrast of bright and dark creates an interesting texture unlike anything else. 'Eden 1' has a standard drum pattern going on, but the keys are playing something else in a completely different universe.

'Speakeasy' starts off sounding like ambient and deconstructed jazz. Soft vibes and percussion is occasionally interrupted by harsh noises from manipulated guitars. It all settles into a medium rhythm before 2 minutes, and is finally satisfied to settle into a smoother sound. There is always a feeling of unease underlying it all. Soon, things soften again to ambient and sparse sounds produced by wavering keys and bass effects while strange noises and feedback continue to disrupt the ambience, becoming more and more relevant until the smoother sound attempts to come back. It's a nice closer to the album, and also sums up the bands more experimental sound that is explored extensively on this album.

I find this album to be very unique and innovative. I love the way they experiment with the things in music that would normally not be so front and center on most popular music albums, playing around with patterns, disrupting them, adding to them or making subtle manipulations to them. I also love the move to more extensive use of percussive instruments and effects. This music sound pretty much like nothing else you have heard, and is actually more experimental and avant prog than it is post rock or progressive jazz. It takes these styles to the next level to the point that you are convinced that you are not listening to those styles anymore, but hearing something completely different and unique, yet still quite musical, with surprises around every corner.

The original was an upbeat track featuring vibes, heavy bass lines and a somewhat sparse guitar melody which is developed on through the track and also features a synth riff in the middle of the track. The remix version, which is the one featured on this single, is remixed by Luke Vibert (Wagon Christ), who is an European club music experimentalist. The melodic aspect of the original is still there, the overall feel is still quite sparse, but the percussion style is changed, sounding more electronic and fast moving, but also more complex. There are also some nice effects done to the guitar and synth parts. You can tell it is the same basic song, but there is a definite difference and the biggest addition is in the excellent effects that in the end, justifies the few minutes of extra time added over the original version.

Side B is an 11 minute track called 'Find the One (Wait, Abstraction No. 3)' The track is a reshaping done by Tortoise member Bundy K. Brown of a track done by Jeff Parker originally called 'Wait'. At the time, Parker was not a full-time member of Tortoise, but he worked with them and would later join the band. Parker originally composed the original version after he had heard Tortoise for the first time. I am not familiar with this original track, but this reworking starts with vibes playing a repetitive two- chord pattern with a very soft drone sound in the background. Faint and subtle instrumental sounds can be heard underneath it all. As the vibes continue, the background slowly becomes more noticeable, and soon drums and percussion come in. A slight variation of the vibe pattern changes things only minimally. A slight trip-hop beat comes in with electronic glitches and tones, but it all stays quite sparse with minimal build-up. Don't expect a melody here, as this is a study in repetitive patterns, and the use of percussion in minimalistic music. After the midway point, the build up reverses and slowly fades away.

This is not necessarily music for entertainment purposes as it is for experimental purposes, changing sounds around to create new inventions. The music is very sparse throughout and will not appeal to many except those familiar with the original sound of the A-side track. It is good for meditation, or background music, or if you like to listen to the slight changes of the B-side. Anyway, it's interesting, but only for collectors and fans. It might prove to be interesting to composers of electronic and / or minimalism music.

Starting off with the title track, 'TNT' opens the album by establishing a nice groove and a cool, yet simple guitar riff, and, instead of creating an added intensity, they build upon and improvise around the riff in a classic, jazz style, but also utilizing a bit of electronica just to keep things current, and adding in effects and such. Adding Jeff Parker to the band for this album definitely gave this post rock band a jazz edge that would stretch the boundaries of the sub genre even more.

'Swung from the Gutters' opens with a mellow jazz guitar solo before kicking in with an almost tropical vibe in the upbeat percussion. With the dual guitars now added to the band, we get to hear how much more depth has been added to their sound. This track is warm and inviting, and with the change of pace towards the middle, things stay fresh, especially when things turn slightly dissonant and experimental, with a nice mix of traditional jazz and wild effects.

'Ten-Day Interval' starts off with a melodic percussion pattern, again giving the track a nice tropical sound. After some nice effects, a processed piano effect comes in playing the main thematic material. The combination of the two creates an almost trance-like effect without any drums. There is not a lot of development to this song, but it's okay because it is pleasant enough the way it is. Some sound and noise effects play in a minimal way and take us into the next track 'I Set My Face to the Hillside', which begins with a guitar played in a Spanish/European cinematic style against a rhumba rhythm while children play in the background. Later, violin joins in along with accordion and light percussion. I'm a sucker for this retro-European style. Chimes and marimba play the middle section.

'The Equator' is a definite electronic track, at least it starts that way, but guitars are brought in later to drive the melody, but most, not all, of the percussion sound electronic. It has a Brazilian feel to it. 'A Simple Way to Go Faster Than Light That Does Not Work' begins with electronic pulses, but bass comes in quickly to establish a foundation along with percussion and guitars providing atmosphere. This one is less interesting, but at least it is fairly short. 'The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls' has a complex progressive jazz vibe to it. It starts out rather thick, but lightens up as it continues as a more accessible beat starts up and a nice bass generated melody picks up among tonal percussion. It's all the minor nuances in this track that make it interesting, but the melody is nice too.

'Four-Day Interval' sounds like a slowed down version of 'Ten-Day Interval' with deeper sounding instruments and sounds. 'In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men' is an easy jazz groove with some interesting things added to it, especially with a hard hit in a few places that throws off the rhythm a bit. The last part of it goes into a minimal and free floating jam. 'Almost Always is Nearly Enough' continues in the minimal experimental sound with a slight trip-hop groove that builds a little bit. This is another relatively short mostly electronic track.

'Jetty' starts off with a rapid electronic beat with synth effects. The cool effects established in the previous track are built upon in this track. This track is also trip-hop with some nice jazz elements including both guitars playing solos to the complex electronic beat. The sound gets fuller when real percussion joins in. 'Everglade' begins with a nice atmospheric sound that eventually falls into a nice slow, yet airy vibe. This is nice and laid back without dragging along. It's a nice finish to this excellent album.

There is really a lot of nuance and beauty to this album, with it's laid-back, tropical vibe which depends upon elements of jazz improvisation to carry it along. The sound is not heavy, but is light, yet complex. Everytime you hear it, you pick up on something you missed the last time you heard it. This is also a groundbreaking album where electronics and organics are both used and they compliment each other quite well. Many groups were trying hard to reach this sound back when it was released, and yet Tortoise comes along and does it like it is so natural, like it is just so easy. Anyway, this is an essential album for lovers of jazz, instrumental and boundary stretching music. This is definitely a 5 star album.

The album starts right out with a perfect example of the bass and percussion sound that would define their style with the track 'Magnet Pulls Through'. A bass and drum foundation is established with a repeating pattern and various other sounds and effects are built upon that. But the coolest thing here is the very heavy 2nd bass that keeps appearing and taking the track over, making its various statements and then allowing the other instruments to continue their groove until it's ready to speak again. 'Night Air' moves along slow and sluggish with a heavy back beat a crawling bass line and what sounds almost like an accordion trying its hardest to be insignificant.

'Ry Cooder' is quite a bit smoother sounding, this time both basses play off of each other while percussion keep things slow and steady, except for a few sudden outbursts. In the middle, things get soft for a minute while you get the sound of a lot of people talking, then suddenly things go into a cool, jazzy section with sustained vibes driving the sound. 'Onions Wrapped in Rubber' begins with a processed drum to make it sound like it's under layers of blankets. The beat stops and eerie, atmospheric sounds echo and swirl around a high-pitched, but soft drone in an experimental and minimalist track.

'Tin Cans and Twine' starts off with a subdued bass and beat. This one is more melodic than the last, and as it goes, it builds off a slow crescendo. The pattern seems like typical post rock, but the melody, even if it's produced by the bass, has a very happy and positive feel to it. Guitar and other layers are added in, including a soft electronic sound. 'Spiderwebbed is the longest track at over 8 minutes. It starts out with the two basses playing off of each other, one setting a repeating pattern while the other improvises over it. After a minute, a drum fades in with a mid-tempo beat. This pattern builds as other sounds join. It may seem like it is just repeating continually, but if you listen closely you can hear a lot of things going on here as it continues. After 5 minutes, the foundation melts into the music and everything just sort of floats as the percussion keeps time.

'His Second Story Island' produces a pensive bass line with other atmospheric sounds which echo and meld together. 'On Noble' has interplay between a low and high bass line and establishes a nice groove with some up beat drums and percussion. There is also a breezy effect involved here. 'Flyrod' has a mysterious James Bond style between the basses with a tap-tap rhythm going on underneath almost like a beating heart. It remains pensive through it's 3 minute play time. 'Cornpone Brunch' starts off with a sample from The Who where they name off the days of the week before it falls into its upbeat feel with a jazz mentality. It's a good positive sound to end the album with, indicating great things to come in the future. Suddenly it becomes quite rocked out as things get more intense, then it calms again.

There is so much in this album that would indicate that Tortoise was not a band to settle into one single genre, always trying new things, but still retaining that signature heavy bass and drum sound. Even when they ventured into indie-folk territory, they still kept that minimal, yet groovy sound. This album did a great thing to introduce this band to the world, and their use of experimental and minimalistic styles kept the band current and different. They don't put out new albums often, but each time they do, it's a surprise to see where they will go next. Tortoise no doubt had huge influence on progressive rock and showed the world new and exciting places to go with the elastic boundaries of the genre. It also influenced so many artists to come in the next decade. With all of its influence, and with the variety demonstrated among a unique line up of instruments that usually end up in the back of the mix for most other bands, this album deserves to be put in the category of essential albums in new progressive music.

Every band looking to make a mark with their chops went to independent labels like Thrill Jockey. Tortoise and its subsequent albums formed the cornerstone of the Thrill Jockey influence and popularized the template (first laid out by the band Slint, or mayyyybe Talk Talk, in my opinion) for the whole post rock operation. The best post rock in my eyes is ambient music with virtuosic intstrumentalists playing with a rock slant. It can be listened to intently or treated as background noise.

This debut album gets great marks for both and truly is a winner across the board. I equate this album - not musically really - to another prog favorite of mine, Goblin's 1976 Roller. Inspired by the times, deftly pulling out all the stops - short, riveting, intense, and exciting.

So after 5 years of doing little projects here and there, they finally released this album 'Beacons of Ancestorship', and, as usual, fans were wondering where they were going to go this time. It seems the band was out to re-establish their position as innovators and inventors in the music world. Once again, they work to stretch the boundaries of whatever is current, almost seemingly in order to create a new genre out of existing genres.

We start off with the 8 minute track 'High Class Slim Came Floatin' In'. Taking a mid tempo dance rhythm, they produce synth heavy and catchy melodies to pull you directly into their music. The rhythm is steady, but not necessarily standard with some tricky back beats. A sudden stop/start rhythm and melody suddenly comes out of nowhere, just as you thought you might get up and move around. Even with Tortoise, this catches you off guard. At 4 minutes, they then turn to a minimalistic approach, but a sudden quick build brings you away from that to a heavy beat and sound while arpeggios swirl around making for a repetitive section where dynamics and processed sounds are used on separate layers, creating a cool atmosphere.

Two shorter tracks follow this. 'Prepare Your Coffin' uses a nice guitar/synth combo to create a nice accessible rock tune against a fast beat. 'Northern Something' is driven by an almost tropical rhythm that is suddenly overshadowed by a dark, yet funky synth. The sound is anything but standard in the unique growly melody against the percussion that has somehow turned from tropical to a march.

'Gigantes' is over 6 minutes and starts with a middle Eastern rhythm and sound. The rhythm continues while the instruments go every which way making unique sounds and melodies. Of course, as can be expected from this inventive band, things change slowly and before you know it, the sound of the track changes to something completely different. The rhythm has evolved into something else completely and so has the melody. Tricky rhythmic passages keep this one interesting throughout.

'Penumbra' is a very short track, which seems like it is trying to catch a rhythm or groove, but doesn't quite make it. After a minute, it gives up and quits. At this point, the entire album shifts it's focus from techno inspired songs to experimental songs. 'Yinxianghechengqi' goes into a completely different direction. It is a loud punkish-sounding track, more chaotic and heavy than anything previous to this. At the 2:30 mark, it suddenly turns dark and experimental as different tones, textures and sounds try and fail to take over, then it fades. 'The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One' has a nice European vibe with a thudding beat over an almost Spanish sounding rhythm and guitar. Tortoise is only borrowing this for the background of something a little more complex than this, almost turning it into a lounge jazz style spaghetti western track.

'Minors' continues with that Euro-jazz feel that follows a melodic style more than the previous. The unexpected part is the electric guitar staying in the lower register making everything seem a little unsettling. 'Monument Six One Thousand' turns to a mid tempo funk with a guitar following a completely different meter. It all does come together somehow by the end of the track. It's kind of cool the way the funky bass line ties everything together. 'De Chelly' is another very short track which is simply a synth/organ playing chords, almost feels like church.

Finally, this album is all wrapped up with 'Charteroak Foundation' which takes the last track and expands upon it. A quick beat starts up over the top of a guitar playing an arpeggiated pattern. Synths start up tying the two strange meters together. Strangely enough, it all works. After the albums dive into darker tones in the middle, this is the track that takes us out of that darkness. It ties the light and dark feelings prevelant in both halves of the album together.

This is the Tortoise style that I like best with a lot of variety in the sound, stretching both the accessible and the dark into new areas. There is plenty here to keep the progressive minded interested especially when it comes to being progressive and relevant at the same time. A very good album, it keeps things interesting, and it even retains it's strange sense of playfulness and humor, even in the darker passages. This is an excellent instrumental album, that doesn't have to rely on one style, and isn't afraid to go off in odd tangents. I also love the sly way Tortoise can shift a track from one style to another in such a sneaky way, that if you aren't listening close, you may not even notice. This is intellectual progressive rock of the best kind, but you do have to be listening close or you will miss what makes it so humorous and intellectual.

The track 'Ten-Day Interval' is a track from Tortoise's album 'TNT'. It is a song driven by a shimmering, arppegiated percussive instrument with a melody played by a piano and various other keyboards. It is an interesting enough son as it is, rather simple and pleasant.

This release is a two sided single that takes Tortoise's 'Ten-Day Interval' and changes it up into two different remixes which are both done by Autechre. The A-side is called 'Adverse Chamber' which is about 6 minutes long. The percussive arpeggios are deeper as are the other sounds, as if everything is done in a lower register. The piano is less conspicuous, but there are more fuzzy electronic sounds evident. It gives everything a more tropical sound. Nothing really seems to stand out much, it just sort of noodles around. The last minute becomes ambient with electronic sounds that linger. The B-side is called 'To Day Retreival' and clocks in just under 4 minutes. This one takes the piano melody and processes the sound to make it more sustained and drone-like. There are some neat sounds and textures on this one which makes it more interesting. I really like this version as it deconstructs the track and makes it new and fascinating.

Both of these tracks are available on Tortoise's rare tracks collection called 'A Lazarus Taxon'. I would suggest getting that collection as it is easier to obtain than this single since it is not available anymore, unless you want to buy it used at an outrageous price. That makes this single obsolete and only for collectors, even though the b-side is quite good. Those that are interested should search out the rarities collection.

The first track is "Ruba'iyat" and is exclusive to this release. It is totally improvised and is recorded during the very first pass- thru in the studio. It's hard to believe it is a one-time pass-thru, since it sounds so perfect. It is made up mostly of percussive instruments and sounds with drone-like tones. It is all performed on two different synthesizers, a modified Suzuki Omnichord and the Folktet "Luminist Garden". There is very little editing involved in the final track. It is a very interesting and syncopated track with a lot of depth.

The next track is "Passerine" and it is also exclusive to this EP. It is made up of samples used by the band in their live shows from various songs. The samples include all pieces from all instruments involved in the band (including vocal samples) and they are all in their original form, but what makes them interesting on this track is that they are all used in different ways and in different pairings from normal, which creates a completely different sound and feeling than from their original sources. They are completely unrecognizable in this form. The resulting sound is very experimental, yet dynamic and interesting. The tone is dark and forboding, and in the end, it is a fascinating piece. It gets rather loud towards the middle, then almost drops off completely before the layers rebuild and deconstruct again. There is no melody here, just sounds, noise and even ambience at times.

"Gigantes" appears next. You might recognize it as a track from the previous album, but this is a remix of the original. There is a nice rhythm here, with a lot more of the percussive sounds and louder hand claps than on the original. There is the sound of a sitar (or something similar) during the first part but it is more of a looped sound than the original, but this gives way eventually to some descending synth sounds. Synths continue to give texture in different tones and feelings through the rest of the track, while the percussion continues giving a constant beat all the way through the track. The distorted guitar solo is missing on this remix though, and that brings it down a bit. Also missing is the processed synth start/stop sound from the original. This remix loses the personality of the original in that it is more repetitive. But it's still not bad.

The last audio track is "Ice Ice Gravy" which was only previously available as an iTunes download. This is a 13 minute track of outtakes from the "Beacons of Ancestorship" sessions. The track fades out and in between ideas the band was working with during the recording of the album. The individual snippets are interesting enough, and actually make this track a fun peek at the "Tortoise" composition process. There are several mini tracks here that definitely sound like something that could have developed into some great pieces if they were fully realized. They range from jazzy to rock and boogie, and any of them could have easily been expanded on. Strangely enough, the track is very enjoyable and intriguing. Think of them as mini-tracks, each lasting around a minute or so.

The entire EP lasts about 30 minutes, but in addition to the 4 tracks, there are 3 videos, 2 of which are live performances, and a music video of "Prepare Your Coffin". Overall, this is loaded for an EP. It is also a worthwhile find, because there is a lot of rare and exclusive material here. Tortoise fans will love this one, especially the insight into the band's inspiration process that is given in the track "Ice Ice Gravy". This is also a good introduction to this ingenious band and would be an excellent addition to any collection.

The A Side is "Why We Fight". It is a pretty standard rhythm with a lot of percussive instruments. Bass joins in later and pretty much carries the melody with a guitar. It is quite similar to the debut album, with a no nonsense melody, but the percussion is quite active all the way through it.

The B Side is called "Whitewater". This one is quite experimental, and actually sounds like a backwards song. I wish I had more information on it, but I am pretty sure it's not the backwards version of the A side, because the tone sounds quite different, and the backwards percussion isn't as chaotic as the A side. There is a (mostly) 2-tone alternating drone that follows along.

This is definitely only for completionists. You would be better off getting "A Lazarus Taxon" than trying to track this down. It's not that interesting, but if you are curious enough, get the rare collection instead.

The results of this experimental approach led to the eponymous debut album by TORTOISE which found a total of five musicians cranking out a plethora of different musical sounds from a veritable army of musical instruments including the usual rock suspects such as bass, guitar and drums alongside vibes, marimba, keyboards, sax, harpsichord and tons of synthesizers and effects. The combo effect of all these sounds delivered in an exclusive instrumental parade of sounds is indeed quite unlike many other artists of the days including other early post-rock bands. While incorporating jazzy elements into the overall hypnotic trajectory of the steady flow of rock led electronically tinged space dub, TORTOISE at this point still hadn't honed their skills to the point of such classics as "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" or my favorite "TNT."

The debut album by TORTOISE is exclusively instrumental and all ten tracks ooze by in the mid-tempo range and in retrospect doesn't come off as anything particularly brilliant since in time TORTOISE themselves would conjure up much more interesting post- rock offerings, but they did garner a lot of attention at the time of this release because of the unusual instrumentation of two bassists, three percussionists and an ample use of vibraphones and marimbas. This album also was released with two album covers, both of which i've somehow accumulated. While both are identical artistically speaking with three dots in three squares on a single colored background, one release shows alternating blue and white coloration while the other is of different shades of tan and brown.

Compared to later efforts, the debut by TORTOISE is a downright lazy affair with a steady groove that never gains very much steam or conjures up a lot of changing it up in the ole dynamics department. While they were successful in garnering the attention they needed in order to create a steady movement beyond the basics, the debut album isn't an album that really stands the test of time as does the following albums. While this is a perfectly satisfying hypnotic groovilistic parade of jazzy dub with Krautrock flavored elements simmering on a low lit pilot light, nothing really erupts into anything memorable either and granted TORTOISE were never known for epic extended jaunts that lead to crescendoes such as Godspeed! You Black Emperor, however they were known for an interesting instrumental interplay that doesn't quite muster up an ecstatic satisfaction level on this one. Not bad by any means but it only gets better from here.