TORTOISE

In 1994, Tortoise released their first LP, self titled and sporting an elegantly simple album cover. Over the years, they would become one of the premier bands in post rock. This album is quite different from the others in their catalogue, because there aren't so many different effects and techniques; while TNT for example dabbled in many musical zones, Tortoise, for the most part, sticks to a drum and bass led style on this album. There's certainly diversity between tracks, categories being: murky, muddy near-ambience (Onions Wrapped in Rubber, His Second-Story Island, Flyrod): relaxed, carefree drum/bass led efforts (On Noble, Night Air, Tin Cans and Twine): tighter, more energetic drum/bass (Spiderwebbed). Magnet Pulls Through uses elements of both the muddy/murky and the relaxed drum/bass, while Cornpone Brunch is alternates between relaxed and tense, except for the vocoder-spoken intro, which I am not a fan of, but I don't find it particularly annoying. The best track is probably Ry Cooder, which doesn't really fit any of the categories; it is at different times relaxed, loud, jazzy, and murky. Highlights are songs 1, 3, and 6. Definitely one of Tortoise's better efforts, maybe even their best. Highly recommended to anyone capable of enjoying diverse, experimental instrumental music.