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03'01 |
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TORTOISE
Standards (WARPCD81) Warp Records 2001 10 Tracks. 44mins23secs. Buy this CD on line now |
With the desire to adopt a more direct approach to their music, the five Tortoises have scrapped the tedious recording techniques they used during the sessions for their previous album, and have instead started rehearsing and writing songs before getting into the studio. Although they retain their trademark sound, Standards displays a more playful side of the band. Tortoise are less conscious of their sounds, and tend to concentrate more on the moment. The chaotic intro of Seneca is followed by a punchy melody, where saturated drums act as a strong backdrop for the guitars and keyboards, while Eros is Tortoise out on a Friday night, after a few beers. Funk is roaring out of the speaker like it’s going out of fashion. The melodic aspect of Standards reflects the attitude adopted by the band. The album is definitely a more straightforward thing than its predecessors, although fans won’t be disappointed, as the musical and creative qualities are more present than ever. With traces of Aphex Twin and Jazz in Benway or Speakeasy, John Barry-meets-sixties pop on Blackjack, definitely one of the best songs here, dark new-wave on Eden 2 or free jazz on Monica, Tortoise are, more than ever, open to their environment, refusing categorisation.
With its wide range of fields explored, Standards is Tortoise’s way to let those who prematurely put them in a box know what they think of them. Standards is brilliant, evocative and fresh.
| 01 | Seneca | 06 | Eden 2 |
| 02 | Eros | 07 | Monica |
| 03 | Benway | 08 | Blackjack |
| 04 | Firefly | 09 | Eden 1 |
| 05 | Six Pack | 10 | Speakeasy |
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TORTOISE
Thrill Jockey/City Slang 1994 Buy it on line now |
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Magnet
Pulls Through
Night Air Ry Cooder Onions Wrapped In Rubber Tin Cans & Twine Spiderwebbed His Second Story Island On Noble Flyrod Cornpone Brunch |
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RHYTHMS,
RESOLUTIONS & CLUSTERS
Thrill Jockey/City Slang 1995 |
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Alcohall
Your New Rod Cobwebbed The Match Incident Tin Cans The Puerto Rican Mix Not Quite East Of The Ryan Initial Gesture Protraction |
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MILLIONS
NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE
Thrill Jockey/City Slang 1996
Buy it on line now |
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Djed
Glass Museum A Survey The Taut & Tame Dear Gandma & Grandpa Along The Banks Of Rivers Gamera Goriri Restless Waters |
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A
DIGEST COMPENDIUM OF THE TORTOISE'S WORLD
Thrill Jockey/City Slang 1996
Buy it on line now |
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Tin Cans &
Twine
Tin Cans & Twine Puerto Rican Mix Alcohall Night Air Gooseneck Onions Wrapped In Rubber Spiderwebbed Cobnebbed Your New Rod Ry Cooder (The Beer Incident) Not Quite East Of The Ryan Reservoir Cornpone Brunch Whitewater Initial Gesture Protraction |
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REMIXED
Thrill Jockey 1996
Buy it on line now |
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Djed
Bruise Blood Mix Tjed Remix By John McEntire Bubble Economy Oval Mix Learning Curve Oval Mix Galapagos (Version 1) Spring Heel Jack Remix Reference Resistance Gate Taut & Tame Luke Vibert Remix Find The One Wait, Abstaction No.3 Remix |
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TNT
Thrill Jockey 1998
Buy it on line now |
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TNT
Swing From The Gutters Ten-Day Interval I Set My Face To The Hillside The Equator A Simple Way To Go Faster Than The Light That Does Not Work The Suspension Bridge At Iguazu' Falls Four-Day Interval In Sarah, Mencken, Christ & Beethoven There Women & Men Almost Always Is Nearly Enough Jetty Everglade TNT Nobukazu Takemura Remix |
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STANDARDS
Thrill Jockey/Warp Records 2001
Buy it on line now |
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Seneca
Eros Benway Firefly Six Pack Eden 2 Monica Blackjack Eden 1 Speakeasy |
| WARP
RECORDS
The almighty Warp Records, home of Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre and the best electronic artists around. And the site has just been redesigned. |
| TORTOISE
Info, News, Discograpy and pictures, this site, put together by the Brainwashed team, is hardly exciting, but does the job. |
| THRILL
JOCKEY
Another label with near-legendary status, the Chicago based Thrill Jockey, home of Tortoise, offer a very informative web site. |
| CITY
SLANG
Berlin based City Slang is a label with a varied roster, most of it of a very high quality. |