Tortoise
Millions Now Living Will Never Die

"Millions Now Living Will Never Die" is one of the most critically acclaimed records of the 90s by one of the most important post-rock bands ever, Tortoise.

I listened to this work in its entirety but I can't understand how it can be considered a masterpiece; it is nothing more than an instrumental album that focuses on atmosphere, using a vast array of sound effects meticulously crafted in the recording studio and occasionally a rock-alternative style guitar riff or bass loop from the 90s repeated ad nauseam. Sure, there are occasional moments of interest, like in the concluding jazzy track "Along The Bank Of Rivers" that recalls Henry Mancini's soundtracks, but the majority of the album is enveloped in total boredom due to the lack of ideas and interesting elements.

The only merit of "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" is its exceptional attention to sound quality, but if substance is lacking, even the best production in the world will still result in a mediocre level. So, since it is an instrumental album, you might expect something extremely technical and progressive... Nothing could be further from the truth; what you will hear is equivalent to the typical music of video games from that era (you know when during a game you're in a particular environment and the music sets the atmosphere, this is more or less similar to what Tortoise plays) but crafted in a high-level recording studio.

There is very little music played with typical rock instruments, and as I previously mentioned, it draws from 90s alternative, exacerbating it in its repetitiveness. You won't find anything truly innovative in this work, but since it's heavy and difficult to listen to (thanks to when they propose two notes for 20 minutes!!!!!) critics get excited and shout masterpiece, especially because there might be a minimal jazz hint on the album... Bah. Honestly, I can't recognize in this genre of music all that potential exalted by renowned critics; maybe it's because I'm too accustomed to the ditties of Black Sabbath and Beatles and the inexpressive voice of Lane Stanley (words of Piero Scaruffi, a music critic of a certain level or at least he believes he is) that I can't understand these masterpieces.

To posterity the arduous judgment.