Tortoise | High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In
May 6th, 2009 Stu
Next month, Tortoise drop their sixth album ‘Beacons Of Ancestorship’. 2004’s ‘It’s All Around You’ was a recurring feature on my playlist for that year, the sound of Tortoise amalgamating all that had gone before into one cohesive session. In opening the promo mail from Thrill Jockey today, it was with some trepidation – they couldn’t have been more ‘Tortoise-like’ on their last release, so where to from there? I certainly wasn’t prepared for the answer.
The opener ‘High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In’ will knock you utterly askew (download below). Whilst the first few bars rolled into a familiar, jilted percussive rhythm, within moments we’re nodding to a clutch of large, fat keyboard stabs that clearly echo back to early 80s hip hop and electro. So much so, I was expecting an old-school MC to rock up on vocoder at any given moment. As you’re sucking on that particular surprise, it soon melts into a pool of alt.physchedlia, then draws itself to a premature quiet climax, before staggering on a final pile of riffs that stand toe to toe with Boredoms.
‘Prepare Your Coffin’ (also available for download below) daringly continues the side order of funk with some squealing 70s keyboards accompanying the main Tortoise thrill. Fans of cerebral introspection might shudder at the thought, but there’s a real joy that exudes from the pores on this track – a joy that’s carried right across the release. ‘Northern Something’ drives the group along with a bass-heavy acid squelch, ‘Gigantes’ hides an IDM 4-4 underneath its clipped, minimal guitar work, whereas ‘Yinxianghechengqi’ is as close to black metal as any of their contemporaries might dare to venture.
Straight off the bat, ‘Beacons Of Ancestorship’ is one of the most enjoyable Tortoise releases to date. There’s something deeply thrilling about listening to a group of accomplished musicians daring to have fun, to opt for the playful approach, whilst still driving home their incessant quest for innovation. Just when it seemed that their peers were clipping at their heels, Tortoise wrong-foot the pack by running right off the track – indeed, running right out of the stadium and into a freestyle, cross-country marathon of their own design.
Tortoise – High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In | mp3
Tortoise – Prepare Your Coffin | mp3
img | riotjane
Tags: thrill jockey, tortoise, u.s.
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