The new Tortoise record

[rolo]

this may be offensive to many tortoise fans, but TNT was, to me, their last greatest CD. I bought the three after that and lost interest. I'll have to check out the new one... see whats up.

[steelyfan]

This one got lost fast. I'm bumpin.

[AnthonyRochester]

I like Tortoise, but haven't heard the new record. Also keen to hear any other opinions..

[baikonour]

Same here, I haven't heard the last one yet.

[Black Shadow]

I only have "Millions"! I just never got around to checking out the others. I should visit the library more often...

Anyhoo, I saw them at a festival last month and they were incredible, mellow and intense at the same time.

[Greg Curtis]

Love Tortoise and Sea and Cake. Sweet stuff!

Got to see them both here in L.A.; best shows I've seen in the last 10 years.

One gripe: The bass is too loud on the CD versions, but on the vinyls it's fine (disk-cutting EQ?)

Greg

.

[Batchainpuller78]

I agree on TNT being their masterwork, and I enjoyed that tour, the albums and live gigs after that album were not the same... a bit of 'magic' gone??

But the new album I like!! I like the sound, I like the rawness, I love the track yinxianghechengqi awesome stuff.
But the tour again has some issues in getting the music across.

I don't mind the 'new' sound as it's refreshing from the stuff they have been doing before, as after standards & it's all around you which I did not enjoy that much as TNT and stuff before (but still has some killer tracks on them) I think it was time to come up with something different, to me on the album it sounds like they really enjoy themselves

Anyway superb band.

[suedesound]

Haven't checked out the new stuff but have to give a big up to tortoise!!!!!

TNT is my fave but i like songs and moments from every album.

On my top 5 as far as bands go!

[Batchainpuller78]

Yep, sure they got nice tracks on any of the albums, but TNT is as a whole and from the first to the last track a musical journey, very melodic and very sonically pleasing and full of little surprises and great rhythmic play.

[the tortoise]

Tortoise were such a big influence on me (obviously ).

TNT was, along with OK Computer, one of my biggest albums of 1997 and that decade. Similarly, Standards, along with Kid A, did the same for the turn of the century. In fact, I find Standards to be perfect in so many ways - a really incredible record.

The new one is great. I liked four or five tracks from the last one (It's All Around You) but felt like they were treading water for half the album. The new one sounds like old Tortoise but at the same time sounds like new sonic territory for them. I think it kind of picks up around the third track, but like all their albums there's lots in there to discover the more you listen.

Just a great, great band. Great records.

[baikonour]

Originally Posted by the tortoise

Tortoise were such a big influence on me (obviously ).

TNT was, along with OK Computer, one of my biggest albums of 1997 and that decade. Similarly, Standards, along with Kid A, did the same for the turn of the century. In fact, I find Standards to be perfect in so many ways - a really incredible record.

The new one is great. I liked four or five tracks from the last one (It's All Around You) but felt like they were treading water for half the album. The new one sounds like old Tortoise but at the same time sounds like new sonic territory for them. I think it kind of picks up around the third track, but like all their albums there's lots in there to discover the more you listen.

Just a great, great band. Great records.

I saw them live around that time, 2 drumkits 2 sets of vibes, a small modular, guitar/bass etc...

[the tortoise]

They pretty much represent everything that I want in a band.

Multi-instrumentalists, fusion of genres, instrumental compositions, influences like Zappa, Soft Machine, Jazz, classical, rock and electronica, sonic pioneers....just such a fantastic band.

Jaga Jazzist have been turning me on in much the same way recently.

[Batchainpuller78]

My kind of threads, when Zappa & Soft Machine get mentioned, throw in a little Steve Reich & Neu! for the repetition rhythmic factor.

Jaga Jazzist, another very nice band, I saw them twice here, one time was really amazing, just perfect, the other time was at an outdoorsfestival and they ****ed up the mix, putting the samples & beats louder than the drums & horns.. .wtf??? took all the beauty out of the music.
Next time I hear something like that I'm walking to the mix tower and complain.

[Black Shadow]

Originally Posted by the tortoise

Jaga Jazzist have been turning me on in much the same way recently.

I listened to "A Living Room Hush" the other day, still sounds awesome.

[baikonour]

[QUOTE=Batchainpuller78;4607019]My kind of threads, when Zappa & Soft Machine get mentioned, throw in a little Steve Reich & Neu! for the repetition rhythmic factor.
QUOTE]

If we can add Harmonia/Cluster, Amon Duul 2 and about a zilion of other underground heroes of mine then I'm in!

[Batchainpuller78]

Well I already covered Harmonia with my Avatar

[baikonour]

Originally Posted by Batchainpuller78

Well I already covered Harmonia with my Avatar

Word!
Seminal record that is...

[steelyfan]

ahhhh... and the Europeans come out to play.thumbsup

Here's one I really like:

A Lazarus Taxon - 4 disc set

This has a collection of rare recordings from various era's. A must own for Tortoise fans. I'm also a big fan of the Thrill Jockey record label, alot of members from Tortoise play on other folks records and McEntire produces/engineers quite a bit of their other artist's music. Alot of my earlier musical efforts drew pretty deeply from Ennio Morricone's sound tracks and experimental rock / electronica. I always loved mysterious or moody movie music, and was just thrilled when I discovered Tortoise.

[steelyfan]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by baikonour;4607128
If we can add Harmonia/Cluster, Amon Duul 2 and about a zilion of other underground heroes of mine then I'm in![/QUOTE

I just discovered Can. That music makes me feel right.

[DinosaurSR]

Tnt was great in its time, but man have they surpassed it by now. Standards and the new one both sound like future music - they literally sound like music that was beamed back about 50 years in a time machine or something. Hard to believe that Standards came out 10 years ago and I'm still trying to figure out how they did half of the sounds on it.

The new one similarly shifts things ahead; the production is bonkers, man! The track that really blows my brains out is the one where there's that sort of lo-fi delay that comes in that kind of makes a loop that's almost in time, and then the whole track sort of shifts so they're actually playing to the loop and it's the main riff. I have NO idea how that was done, but it melts my brain.

[Batchainpuller78]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

I just discovered Can. That music makes me feel right.

so you find the new Tortoise record Digital & Modern, It might be a bit that way but it's pretty raw & dirty and does not sound so digital & modern to me.

Actually I think stuff like Stereolab, Tortoise and all the rest of that scene is one of the few modern music that I like and find the way they produce their albums far from obnoxious even with a lot of 'computer' approach. or said otherwise I just love it

[steelyfan]

They do capture some dirty/raw sounding stuff, the production just sounds fancy I guess, not digital as in a bad way, just that the fidelity of it is very crisp. The dirt is very "cleanly" captured . I agree it's a great sounding albulm. yea, love me some Stereo Lab, seen them a couple of times too. They always reminded me of Brazil 66' in the year 2030.....futuristic elevator music with alot of style...lol! I've got most of their albulms. Dots and Loops!

Can is blowing my mind. I guess some where deep down, I connect with that 60-70's tape sound, like the older Morricone sounding recordings, must be the nastalga of it all I can't shake. But I agree, Tortoise and Stereo Lab's recordings are far from obnoxious, they sound quite nice. They just don't sound vintage, and they're not supposed to. This latest Tortiose record is a wonderful collage of old/meets new.......which is really hard to do.thumbsup

[Batchainpuller78]

I agree

[Recycled_Brains]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I'm a big fan of "Standards" and "It's All Around You".

The 2 tracks on their website sound awesome. I definitely plan on picking this up ASAP.

[baikonour]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

ahhhh... and the Europeans come out to play.thumbsup

Here's one I really like:

A Lazarus Taxon - 4 disc set

This has a collection of rare recordings from various era's. A must own for Tortoise fans. I'm also a big fan of the Thrill Jockey record label, alot of members from Tortoise play on other folks records and McEntire produces/engineers quite a bit of their other artist's music. Alot of my earlier musical efforts drew pretty deeply from Ennio Morricone's sound tracks and experimental rock / electronica. I always loved mysterious or moody movie music, and was just thrilled when I discovered Tortoise.

ha! John Mc entire re-issued a rare album by portuguese artist Nuno Canavarro called "Plux Quba" it was relleased by Drag city for the CD and Thrill Jockey for the vinyl version/ A must-have for Experimental music lover.

[baikonour]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

They do capture some dirty/raw sounding stuff, the production just sounds fancy I guess, not digital as in a bad way, just that the fidelity of it is very crisp. The dirt is very "cleanly" captured . I agree it's a great sounding albulm. yea, love me some Stereo Lab, seen them a couple of times too. They always reminded me of Brazil 66' in the year 2030.....futuristic elevator music with alot of style...lol! I've got most of their albulms. Dots and Loops!

Can is blowing my mind. I guess some where deep down, I connect with that 60-70's tape sound, like the older Morricone sounding recordings, must be the nastalga of it all I can't shake. But I agree, Tortoise and Stereo Lab's recordings are far from obnoxious, they sound quite nice. They just don't sound vintage, and they're not supposed to. This latest Tortiose record is a wonderful collage of old/meets new.......which is really hard to do.thumbsup

Unfortunately Stereolab is no more... I know because they are friends of mine. Sad news...Their studio is no more too but you will see some interesting off shoot records in the future. Actually one has already been released by Joe Watson (stereolab multi instrumentalist and co producer) it's called "Junior Electronics"

[the tortoise]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

I just discovered Can. That music makes me feel right.

Can are absolutely my favourite band of all time.

And yes, definitely Krautrock and Steve Reich all over Tortoise.

I like this thread.

[steelyfan]

Originally Posted by baikonour

Unfortunately Stereolab is no more... I know because they are friends of mine. Sad news...Their studio is no more too but you will see some interesting off shoot records in the future. Actually one has already been released by Joe Watson (stereolab multi instrumentalist and co producer) it's called "Junior Electronics"

That's too bad. I wish them all the best with their future projects, Class act group for sure! When you see them again, tell them that their music meant alot to a country boy from Louisiana in the US. I'll keep my ears open.

[baikonour]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

That's too bad. I wish them all the best with their future projects, Class act group for sure! When you see them again, tell them that their music meant alot to a country boy from Louisiana in the US. I'll keep my ears open.

I will... I think they peaked creatively on Sound Dust, the last album featuring Mary Hanson (RIP) but they were still a great live band until the end.
To comeback to Tortoise, Stereolab recorded/colaborated with John Mc Entire, and another Chicago maverick Jim O Rourke... They toured together as well.