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THE CATASTROPHISTTortoisePost Rock/Math rock3.79 | 53 ratings |
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Mellotron Storm
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Prog Reviewer |
Man what a come back album for this legendary Post-Rock band. Not since their "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" and "TNT"
years have they put out such a quality release in my opinion. I picked this up based on the glowing reviews here and am so glad I did. Of
course TORTOISE is far from being a typical Post-Rock band as they don't do those slowly building soundscapes that end in a wall of
sound, no these guys are quite different from anything I've heard. Some say poppy with plenty of intricate sounds including lots of vibes,
sequencing, marimba and synths. We also get lap steel guitar, sax, ring modular guitar and electric harpsichord just to give you a idea of
sound. There are two guest vocalists as well. That album cover is hilarious by the way."The Catastrophist" features lots of lighter and often higher pitched sounds before it settles into a deep groove with bass, drums and keys standing out. I love when the synths join in before 1 1/2 minutes. Sounds echo as the beat continues. Bass to the fore around 2 1/2 minutes then sax a minute later. "Ox Duke" opens with sounds that echo as the bass and intricate sounds join in. It's fuller after a minute with synths. Love that repetitive feel good melody. Vibes around 3 1/2 minutes as it then turns darker to the end. Two fantastic tracks to get us started. "Rock On" surprised me big time when I first heard it. Yes that familiar song is a cover of David Essex's 1973 hit that is still played on Classic rock stations today. A deep beat, bass and what sounds like electronics as these manipulated vocals join in. Then vocals stop as the sax honks before 2 minutes then back to our regular programming. "Gopher Island" is just over a minute long and has this fast beat with deep pulsating sounds then it picks up speed with some crazy sounding keys? "Shake Hands With Danger" is my middle name by the way. Another stand out track with intricate sounds as other sounds pulse and beat. The sax starts to blast over top. So cool and so catchy. "The Clearing Fills" sounds like it has this electronic beat with keys and more. It suddenly turns dark and haunting 3 minutes in. I love this one! "Gesceap" is a track that reminds me of some of HARMONIUM and LA DUSSELDORF works. Those higher pitched intricate sounds with accordion-like sounds does that for me. A beat joins in after 1 1/2 minutes. It does get more intense after 4 minutes then it settles back just before 7 minutes. "Hot Coffee" is another favourite of mine. Keys echo as a beat and intricate sounds help out. It's building. I like the guitar that comes and goes. Catchy stuff as synths also join in. "Yonder Blue" has a beat and slowish pulsating sounds as the female vocals join in. A dreamy, laid back tune with some keys and guitar as well. "Tesseract" is another catchy track with a beat, guitar, bass and more. I really like that repetitive bass line. "At Odds With Logic" is laid back and relaxed with a beat, guitar and more. Suddenly 2 minutes in it becomes more powerful but slower too. A great way to end this album. I picked this up fairly early in 2016 after reading a really positive review on here, then more followed. Then before I review this all I seem to see on the RYM site was negativity which I still don't get. Other than I feel I'm much more in tune with the reviewers on this site for the most part. A must!
Mellotron Storm |
4/5 |
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