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...And to your left, we have "Millions Now Living Will Never Die", the greatest album by Tortoise, released in 1996 and already become an absolute masterpiece of 90s rock, you can admire it in all its magnificence...
Did you notice that I started this review as if it were a museum piece of art? Yes, because it truly is a piece of art! Drawing from the innovative ideas of Slint's "Spiderland", the five boys from Illinois (by the way, one of the members is actually a former Slint, David Pajo...imagine that...) deliver an authentic milestone, destined to be branded into the annals of rock.
Rarefied sounds, counterpoints, occasional use of jazz nuances, tribal percussion... all of this defines THE album of 1996 without a shadow of a doubt. The long opening suite, "Djed", with its twenty minutes, is divided into many consecutive themes: the initial subdued tone, the crescendo of the drums, and the finale alternating between xylophone and bass create a mix of authentic minimalism and throw the listener into disarray, not knowing what to expect from the following tracks. Then come the other four tracks, among which "Glass Museum" stands out as the most "Slint-like"... with its alternation of pauses, fast and frenetic rhythms, and cosmic and glistening sounds that make you feel as though you are in a "glass museum.” "A Survey" is a short track that takes you back to pre-war nightclub times, while "The Taut And The Tame" is composed of accelerated but non-filling tribal percussion, one of the album’s masterpieces. The last two tracks, with a more subdued tone, are nonetheless characteristic for their inclusion of many genres, from the almost dark of "Dear Grandma And Grandpa" to the blues of "Along The Banks Of Rivers", passing through krautrock and ambient.
In short, an unsurpassable masterpiece! What are you doing? You're still here? Then I'm just talking to the wind: get up and get it, by any means!
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Other reviews
By Lato B
If the old rock wore cowboy boots, the new rock wears slippers or at most a pair of diving fins, and has exchanged the gun for a camera.
Don’t worry, repetition is now accepted by the public, and if you don’t believe it, turn on the radio: a few minutes will convince you.
By hypnosphere boy
The Tortoise don’t play songs, they paint pictures, now soft and calm... now livelier and more rhythmic.
A changing, enveloping, infinite sound, immersed in the future, with the irreplaceable scent of the past.
By Deviljin
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.
You won’t find anything truly innovative in this work, but since it’s heavy and difficult to listen to... critics get excited and shout masterpiece.
