Tortoise

[Guy Berger]

Thought I'd start a thread on these guys. I have their first four albums, thought that the s/t debut and Standards were somewhat boring while Millions Now Living Will Never Die is pretty good (really dig "Djed", the rest isn't as good). TNT is one of my favorite albums -- nothing heavy, but it has a nice chill atmosphere that I like to put on to relax.

Are these guys good enough live for me to seek out live recordings? How was their 5th studio album?

Also feel free to discuss other bands on the Thrill Jockey label (though maybe the Chicago Underground thing should have its own thread since it is actually jazz). I thought Gastr del Sol's Camoufleur and the one Sea & Cake album I heard were pretty boring. Isotope 217's Utonian Automatic is pretty good though not on the level of TNT.

Guy

[WD45]

Standards is a special record for me -- I love some of those quirky little melodies. The production trickery is just subtle enough to make it a genuine part of the music, without seeming cheeky.

I have seen them twice. The live impact of those tunes is worth seeking out. Two drum kits, two sets of vibes, keys, guitars, basses, etc.

The most recent time [last month, actually] was with Daniel Lanois. Tortoise opened, and then they backed Lanois. Cool. I wrote a ridiculously long review on my BLOG.

[Guy Berger]

The most recent time [last month, actually] was with Daniel Lanois.  Tortoise opened, and then they backed Lanois.  Cool.  I wrote a ridiculously long review on my BLOG.

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I dug your review!

Guy

[7/4]

Standards is a special record for me -- I love some of those quirky little melodies.  The production trickery is just subtle enough to make it a genuine part of the music, without seeming cheeky.

I have seen them twice.  The live impact of those tunes is worth seeking out.  Two drum kits, two sets of vibes, keys, guitars, basses, etc.

The most recent time [last month, actually] was with Daniel Lanois.  Tortoise opened, and then they backed Lanois.  Cool.  I wrote a ridiculously long review on my BLOG.

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I just bought Belladonna a few days ago. Nice.

I'll get into your blog review later, I'm busy writing a pair of reviews for DMG right now.

[WD45]

I liked Belladonna quite a bit. "Frozen" is my fave on there. Brian Blade and Brad Mehldau both play on there.

[.:.impossible]

I really like 'Standards' as well, though I haven't seen them perform any of the songs live. Yet! I'd love to see Tortoise live. I've seen John McEntire play drums with The Sea and Cake though, who I love. I am a big Sam Prekop fan. Both of his solo releases are fantastic, especially the first.

If you haven't checked out Jeff Parker's Delmark recordings, 'Like Coping' and 'The Relatives', I would highly recommend them to y'all who are more jazz-minded while still interested in the Tortoise aesthetic. His playing has really revealed itself to me over time and I think he can be a fantastic guitar player.

While we are on the subject, I would like to mention Rob Mazurek, who also plays with this crowd. I really think his trumpet playing continues to evolve and grow into itself. His intonation and control really catch me by surprise at times. He must have an incredibly strong embochure to get the wide array of sound out of his horn. I have not heard his recordings employing electro-acoustic technique yet, but I am curious. Any other fans?

[.:.impossible]

And yes, that new Lanois release is fantastic.

[Noj]

I've recently become a fan, I'll have to check some of these other albums out.

[Chalupa]

I guess I'm in the minority here but I saw the Lanois/Tortoise show I was mighty underwhelmed.

Maybe my expectations were too high going in. Maybe it because of my unfamilarity w/ Lanois' solo material. Then again maybe it was because I saw them the same night as a FANTASTIC Roscoe Mitchell/Muhal Richard Abrams show that I attended but the Lanois/Tortoise collaberation did nothing for me. I LOVE Tortoise and I like Lanois as a producer/performer on other people's albums but as a solo performer I think he's kind of blah. I didn't think much of his guitar playing or his songs. In fact I was rather bored. His pedal steel excursions were nice but he only played it on one or two songs . The guys from Tortoise didn't seem to add much to his songs either. AFAICT, the only one who seemed to be into it was the drummer. The entire band only backed Lanois up on a couple of songs. The whole thing sounded under-rehearsed to my ears. However, the Philly show was early in the tour so maybe that's why it wasn't clicking.

I wanna give Lanois the benefit of the doubt but for now color me unimpressed.

[Craig23]

I agree with Chalupa. While I like Tortoise recordings, I was very bored with them live. I saw them a few years ago, and I thought the show would never end. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood. Music like Tortoise is tough for me to take live. I appreciate the songwriting (especially the earlier material that some have mentioned), but, for me, it doesn't translate well live. Incidentally, I saw them with Nobukazu Takemura who, like Tortoise, has interesting recordings, but the live show leaves a lot to be desired (it is only so long that I can watch a guy in front of his laptop).

[WD45]

I agree with Chalupa.  While I like Tortoise recordings, I was very bored with them live.  I saw them a few years ago, and I thought the show would never end.  Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.  Music like Tortoise is tough for me to take live.  I appreciate the songwriting (especially the earlier material that some have mentioned), but, for me, it doesn't translate well live.  Incidentally, I saw them with Nobukazu Takemura who, like Tortoise, has interesting recordings, but the live show leaves a lot to be desired (it is only so long that I can watch a guy in front of his laptop).

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I saw Takemura on that tour as well. That whole in front of the laptop thing bothers me as well. Nice recordings, but I can stay home and drink cheaper.