http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62079&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rssHow a group of ex-punk rockers came to revitalize the state of independent music in the '90s is anybody's guess, but Tortoise have been placed at the forefront of a collective of musicians intent on pushing the common formulas of Indie Rock. Their debut record was steeped in post-Slint tempos, but came alive in the icy, cavernous production. Echoes of dub ran through the record, and tracks like "Cornpone Brunch" hinted towards jazzier explorations. DJ's and electronic artists took to the group and a full-length remix record followed. With the '96 release of <I>Millions Now Living Will Never Die</I>, they established their distinct sound: an involved, shifting patchwork of cut and paste aesthetics, dueling vibraphones, and kinetic exercises in both dub and film scores. Their on-stage performances were equally involved, with members constantly rotating and adding a liveliness to the music in which certain critics were finding a kind of science. The addition of free jazz guitarist Jeff Parker gave the group a warmer yet more insular sound. The recent <I>TNT</i> was both meticulously detailed and limber, melodic and fully realized. Perhaps the group's greatest fault is the cavalcade of copyists they have inspired. Legions of Indie Rockers now create instrumental passages and name drop Steve Reich, creating a monotonous din of mediocrity which is often lofted back at the band by decriers. The band continue unrivalled though, creating complex, ornate music open to a wide array of instrumentation and only occasionally sounding like Weather Report. - Jon PruettPost-Rocken720Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:12:02 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62079&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss How a group of ex-punk rockers came to revitalize the state of independent music in the '90s is anybody's guess, but Tortoise have been placed at the forefront of a collective of musicians intent on pushing the common formulas of Indie Rock. Their debut record was steeped in post-Slint tempos, but came alive in the icy, cavernous production. Echoes of dub ran through the record, and tracks like "Cornpone Brunch" hinted towards jazzier explorations. DJ's and electronic artists took to the group and a full-length remix record followed. With the '96 release of <I>Millions Now Living Will Never Die</I>, they established their distinct sound: an involved, shifting patchwork of cut and paste aesthetics, dueling vibraphones, and kinetic exercises in both dub and film scores. Their on-stage performances were equally involved, with members constantly rotating and adding a liveliness to the music in which certain critics were finding a kind of science. The addition of free jazz guitarist Jeff Parker gave the group a warmer yet more insular sound. The recent <I>TNT</i> was both meticulously detailed and limber, melodic and fully realized. Perhaps the group's greatest fault is the cavalcade of copyists they have inspired. Legions of Indie Rockers now create instrumental passages and name drop Steve Reich, creating a monotonous din of mediocrity which is often lofted back at the band by decriers. The band continue unrivalled though, creating complex, ornate music open to a wide array of instrumentation and only occasionally sounding like Weather Report. - Jon Pruett http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.28772812&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.28772812 alb.28772812 Tortoise art.62079 8.99 Beacons of Ancestorship alb.28772812 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/1/2/4/9/1709421_170x170.jpg 2009-06-23 00:00:00.0 2009-06-23 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.28772812&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.28772812&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.11368865&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Tue, 5 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.11368865 alb.11368865 Tortoise art.62079 20.99 A Lazarus Taxon alb.11368865 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/6/4/2/6/886246_170x170.jpg 2006-09-05 00:00:00.0 2006-09-05 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.11368865&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.11368865&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.9284550&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Wed, 8 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.9284550 alb.9284550 Tortoise art.62079 0.0 The Brave & The Bold alb.9284550 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/5/6/5/895654_170x170.jpg 2006-11-08 00:00:00.0 2006-01-24 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.9284550&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.9284550&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5317651&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.5317651 alb.5317651 Tortoise art.62079 7.99 It's All Around You alb.5317651 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/3/3/7/3/663733_170x170.jpg 2004-04-30 00:00:00.0 2004-04-30 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5317651&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5317651&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5188757&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Tue, 6 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.5188757 alb.5188757 Tortoise art.62079 0.0 It's All Around You alb.5188757 2004-04-06 00:00:00.0 2004-04-06 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5188757&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5188757&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.133436&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Tue, 20 Feb 2001 00:00:00 -0800 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.133436 alb.133436 Tortoise art.62079 7.99 Standards alb.133436 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/8/8/1/9/439188_170x170.jpg 2001-02-20 00:00:00.0 2001-02-20 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.133436&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.133436&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.313757&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Tue, 18 May 1999 00:00:00 -0700 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.313757 alb.313757 Tortoise art.62079 0.0 In The Fishtank alb.313757 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/6/3/3/213364_170x170.jpg 1999-05-18 00:00:00.0 1999-05-18 00:00:00.0 false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.313757&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.313757&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.230069&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Tue, 10 Mar 1998 00:00:00 -0800 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.230069 alb.230069 Tortoise art.62079 7.99 TNT alb.230069 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/7/3/2/4/394237_170x170.jpg 1998-03-10 00:00:00.0 1998-03-10 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.230069&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.230069&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.94468&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.94468 alb.94468 Tortoise art.62079 0.0 Millions Now Living Will Never Die alb.94468 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/2/6/6/526624_170x170.jpg null 1996-01-30 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.94468&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.94468&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.146186&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Mon, 1 Jan 1996 00:00:00 -0800 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.146186 alb.146186 Tortoise art.62079 0.0 Remixed alb.146186 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/0/6/9/8/398960_170x170.jpg 1996-01-01 00:00:00.0 1996-01-01 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.146186&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.146186&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.219211&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Mon, 1 Jan 1996 00:00:00 -0800 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.219211 alb.219211 Tortoise art.62079 4.99 Millions Now Living Will Never Die alb.219211 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/7/8/3/3/663387_170x170.jpg 1996-01-01 00:00:00.0 1996-01-01 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.219211&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.219211&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.236483&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Rock Sat, 1 Jan 1994 00:00:00 -0800 Tortoise Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.236483 alb.236483 Tortoise art.62079 7.99 Tortoise alb.236483 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/0/0/9/4/384900_170x170.jpg 1994-01-01 00:00:00.0 1994-01-01 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.236483&variant=play&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.236483&variant=data&rws=%2Ftortoise%2Fdiscography.rss