Tortoise
A Lazarus Taxon [3CD+DVD]

THE REVIEW

A monumental collection that traces the history of Tortoise through b-sides, collaborations, outtakes, assorted rarities, remixes, covers, videos, live performances, and every piece of goodness related to the band, mainly from the period 1995-2001. A true godsend, considering that the material presented here is of the same quality as that in the official albums.

Tortoise as an elegant and perfect rhythmic machine that, amidst strange definitions, misunderstandings, exaggerations, intellectual criticisms, and all sorts of speculations, has traversed the decade on the fringes of what we usually call rock. The approachable side of the avant-garde.

Three hours of electronic, acoustic, electric music; between jazz, rock, kraut, dub, and ambient, three hours that make one thing clear: the word post-rock is unnecessary, forced, and misleading, especially when associated with Tortoise.

Mannerism reminiscent of Can, relentless a-melodic rhythmic propulsions like Neu!, xylophones, the three classic rock instruments, keyboards, and sampling loops, sprawling and/or angular compositions. Above all, a lot of electronics, sometimes even bordering on dance music.

A collection that suits everyone a little bit: for novices, as it best presents what the band has been capable of and narrates its chronology; for followers, because none of this is present on the albums and because it fully recovers the remix album "Rhythms, Resolutions & Clusters"; for the curious, because it's economical.

To be listened to in bits and pieces, not necessarily attentively, yet still realizing that you are witnessing one of the most representative and authentic documents of the past decade.