Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Really enjoyed this. Some very nice ambient work, will definitely revisit

Love this. TNT was my first intro to Tortoise and is still my fave, but I’d be happy with this as the alternative any day.

Really nice. Layered, "transporting," lots of great moments.

An excellent band's best album. I hadn't listened to this for a while, and it's almost perfect.

Wow, dit is echt origineel. Krautrock, jazz, rock, echt geweldig!

Kid: Mum, can we have Godspeed You! Black Emperor? Mum: no, we have Godspeed You! Black Emperor at home. Kid: that's ok, Godspeed You! Black Emperor are such an amazing band, that even a slightly worse version of them is still some of the most amazing music I have ever heard.

very cool

Bloody excellent

this was exceptional. almost ambient at times, almost industrial at times. very musical without sounding very instrumental if that makes sense. i had no expectations going in but they were blown out of the water

Very good, rather like some Mogwai.

All vibes, super chill

Solid, no vocals very chill post rock

Immaculate album, I enjoyed every second of this listen. Djed was an epic by itself, and every song had its own unique vibe. 9.5/10, definitely would listen again

Wow. Just wow.

Dormito per 3/4 di album, ma gran bei pisoloni Would sleep again

Less a language and more a way of just being in the universe.

wonderful shimmering, shifting, evolving, driving music - this works both as a main listen, and also as music in the background.

Love it

This is so cool!! I’ve always heard how cool they were but just never listened. My mistake! Djed is a 20 minute song and is too short, or actually, just perfect!

A perfect example of a really creative band taking influence from a wide range of artists, and creating something excellent from it. The 20 minute opener is truly special, and the rest is just as moving.

Hell yeah. Perfect for every chill moment.

There's a lot going on here and I think I enjoy most of it. It's a sort of liminal album, existing in the space between genres. I can definitely see myself listening again, and exploring Tortoise more.

mindblowing

One of the best albums of all time

This feels like the direct predecesor to Explosions in the Sky and I love it so much. Pitch perfect.

Beautifully cinematic yet tight ambient-ish album.

never heard of these before but love this. I have started to delve into the back catalogue to see what else is in there .

It took me a while to decide how many stars, but at the end of the day this allowed me to discover TNT, Djed is a great track, Tortoise are my new favorite band and I think all of this deserves a 5

What a masterpiece. I was questioning whether I was going to even like this, but over the course of the 20 minute opener it slowly started winning me over, and throughout the album won me over more and more, and when the final track starts it was settled. Love the marimba incorporation as well

Really enjoyed this one. I used to listen to ambient music a lot when studying (and still do for working). The likes of American Analog Set, Röyksopp, Goddamn Electric Bill etc. got me through more all-night essay writing than I care to remember.

Great- five star

Very chill, perfect for early morning work background music or late night chill mode. Some might not like it or find it boring if you want something with high energy.

There's no reason I should like this at all. And yet I do. Immensely.

cool

It's been way too long since I listened to Tortoise. Perfect post rock noise scapes that grate and entice. This album is sloppy at times which threw me a little as I am more familiar with TNT which has laser sharp precision. I wonder if they are fans of Barry Adamson's Moss Side stories or maybe they share the same influences. Either way both Millions and that record share a muddy dirge that feels like the sound is smothering me.

5/5 AWESOME

Over the past 15 years I've listened to a little Tortoise off and on (mainly TNT). Never a deep dive, but they always stand out as a band worth noting. I'm happy to sit with this album. Oh... I'm 100% into this. I'll probably spend all day listening to related Chicago indie and jazz. Stuff like The Sea and Cake, Brokeback, Isotope 217, Chicago Underground [duo, trio or whatever], plus whatever Rob Mazurek is up to nowadays

This might be my coolest find in this project. Djed on it's own is already a complete journey and they just keep going. It gives me that rare sense of wonder.

Essential, seminal post rock album, so influential on so much amazing shit, another easy 5. The club is on fire this week!

Nothing like any other post rock album I've heard, which is exactly what the genre should be going for at all times. Score is reflecting where it'll be in like half a year most likely.

Wow. This is a fantastic album.

My go-to album for calming my brain. Djed is perhaps my favorite song ever.

This is such a good headphones album - I walked my dog while listening to the opener, the 21 minute long "Djed". It was so hypnotizing that I kept my headphones in and took in the rest of the album on my couch. The combination of really driving almost punk drums, with textural guitar and bass, playful and jazzy xylophone, and electronic atmospherics made for a uniquely cool listening experience. Loved it!

These are exactly the kind of albums I was hoping to discover through this list

First ever listen to these guys, love this album.

I found this one so interesting, and I think I probably played it every day for 2 weeks before deciding how to rate it. So much going on - bass harmonics - well all the bass playing, drummer going wild, melody just wandering around aimlessly and then coming together. Loved it, will check out their other work.

Halfway between Mogwai and Boards of Canada, but with its own jazz thing going on. Another one I should have been listening to at the time.

An enthralling piece of sonic doom ambience.

along the banks of rivers

I had this album for 20 years in my collection and heard eventualy a little bit of it. Now I'm exited to recover ist again. It's excellent.

Excellent

Went in with an open mind knowing nothing about this, but I’d be lying if I didn’t feel some slight dread seeing that 20 minute opening track, especially since I knew NOTHING about what was ahead of me. But this is fucking amazing, scratched an itch that I didn’t realise was there. This album placed me in a state of total, dreamy euphoria throughout the entire 43 minutes. Extremely calming, gorgeous instrumentals, I actually needed this today.. I don’t really know what else to say, out of all the albums I’ve had from this project so far, this one is my favourite. 5/5

5/5. A really great post-rock album, slow-moving and hesitant without ever feeling boring. The best song is the first 20-minute long Djed but the second side of small ideas is also great. They all feel urgent yet basking in their patience hoping the audience will relax with them, and if you do allow yourself to calm down, your experience will be heightened. Although I wouldn't say I would enjoy this all the time, this was one I couldn't really find fault in.

Descent album solid 5

Hard to believe it is almost 30 years ago this was released. I liked it then and I like it now. Favourite song: Djed, of course.

I hadn't listened to any Tortoise in a long while, but this is still a great album. They have this unique sound that I absolutely love.

Very interesting. This is ostensibly music for the head, as opposed to the heart, yet in its unhurried deconstruction of rock music, it can be quite beautiful. First track 'Djed' sets the scene, dissonance morphing into some pretty cool Krautrock before twisting into yet another sound pretzel - a recurrent theme throughout. Sometimes these shapes are ugly, but always stimulating. And that's not to say that this is a difficult listen; far from it. 'Glass Museum' has a dreamlike quality to it, whilst closer 'Along the Banks of Rivers' could be the dust-spattered soundtrack to a spaghetti western showdown. So - an album that privileges texture and tonality above all the usual business of rock music. It could have been a mess. Instead, it's a triumph.

Listen again!

Something about the sounds on the song "The Taut and The Tame" remind me of Land of the Lost, specifically the 70s tv version since that's the only one I've seen. There's also something dark and mysterious about the final song on the album that I'm really into. I'm very much into this album.

Djed was such a nice track..

I forgot how much I loved Tortoise. TNT was on pretty frequent rotation for me back in high school and early college, but I never got around to their other stuff. I'm happy this led me here!

Quite a trip of an album, and honestly surprised by the atmosphere on display.

I'm not normally one for superlatives but this was a masterpiece

I've heard of Tortoise! It was good, would listen to again for sure.

A genuine discovery! I enjoyed this so much

Probably my favorite album by Tortoise this is a masterpiece!

This album is one of the most important works of post rock. It experiments with sounds and musical textures in an almost meditative intentional way that allows songs to build, simmer, and dissolve in their own timing. The instrumentation and genre hopping feel like this is almost like a musical laboratory.

во первых очень красивая обложка, вау сам альбом тоже классный мне понравился

10/10 this album has nearly everything I’m a total sucker for complete perfection from beginning to end

It’s really good

Great for listening in one go. Driving music. I like the erratic changes, harmony and flow, as well as variety of instruments and rhythms

Ik hou van post-rock. Dus ook dit album was zeer welkom. Lekker instrumentaal, en net vreemd genoeg dat het goed is

Amazing experience, will definitely listen many times again. Great opus.

Peaceful, exciting, and delightfully complex. I'm glad learned about this band, they provide Can levels of bliss. "The Taut and Tame" blew me away.

Big fan of post-rock and this didn’t disappoint

I loved this when it first came out. This was innovative post rock and turned my head (slowly, like a tortoise) Still enjoy hearing this from start to finish. Still sounds fresh and innovative. Brilliant

A post-rock classic

Right up my alley

Heel speciale instrumentale muziek. Rustig maar intrigerend.

Really interesting textures and ideas coming together - thought provoking instrument music, great for reading and chilling

ethereal, clean, coming of age, both hard and soft, fantastically 90s (cool album name too x)

Yay! Alex Talbot

Lofi classic

Easy 5 stars for me. Like the "Lo Fi Hiphop" youtube channel, with a bit more experimentation and daring. I loved all the surprising twists and turns this instrumental odyssey took.

This is my kind of album. Really digging it.

Disco relax

probably my favorite Tortoise album.

This was great. it was layered and ambitious and interesting. i liked the vibe and will listen again.

Interesting album, neat sound

Mielenkiintoinen levy. 3,5/5.

intro was really interesting and felt like 6 different songs, i loved the texture of this especially, might use this album as background noise for chilling...

This band's sound is a synthesis of so many different things, like 70s jazz fusion and minimalism and like Internet 1.0 dial-up sounds (??) and Louisville post-hardcore and Chicago pastiche-y technical whisper-y post-rock(??) but it all becomes this one thing that is so recognizably theirs. I love this album but their real masterpiece is TNT, which I absolutely adore.

Really futuristic and funky album, surprised I liked it as much as I did considering it was instrumental

I like this. It's unlike anything else on this list. It's noisy without losing musicality.

A fairly good example of the Post-Rock genre. The 21-minute opener 'Djed' could be seen as the centrepiece of the album, but for me the real highlights were 'Glass Museum' which has a sense of scale and grandeur befitting of the title, and the slightly more frenetic 'The Taut and the Tame' which reminds me of contemporaries Stereolab. Overall I enjoyed it enough for a 4.

𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘦 is one of those albums that makes me wish there were more post-rock records in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, MONO, or Explosions in the Sky all have albums that would be worth hearing before you die, and Tortoise show another side of what post-rock can be. What I like most about this album is how patient it is. Rather than building toward huge climaxes, Tortoise focus on atmosphere, texture, and subtle changes. At times it feels closer to ambient music than rock, which gives the album a calm, almost hypnotic quality. It’s not the most dramatic post-rock album I’ve heard, but it’s one of the most immersive. The longer it goes on, the more its mood starts to work on me, and by the end I’m completely absorbed in its world.

Enjoyed this. Experimental, instrumental music.

Really enjoyed this. A nice listen late at night

This is wayy underrated over here, it has no business being below a 3.0, so i'm for sure going to rate it a 4. I can hear a lot of what would become math rock in this one. For being essentially a pioneer of post-rock, this is a must listen, and it is a blast. I had the melodies stuck in my head for quite a while. I enjoyed my time with it. Not too long at all in my opinion

instrumental, algunas muy lentas

Oh yes, I am the audience for post rock. And no Godspeed on this list, so one must make do. Man, I really like this. Don’t think I heard it before. Still lament the absence of GY!BE. I mean they’re on the supplemental list. Probably one of the earliest additions. I find other post rock lovers are as obsessive music fans as I am, and often much more “discerning.” I mean I am here for ALOT. But yes, this too. Odd synths included. It’s a solid 4. I am sure I will listen again. Boolean: yes, very glad to have heard before I die. But would like to ALSO hear MORE post rock

Here for this background jams. What's another word for atmospheric? Overused word. Anyway, pleasant surprise. 4/5

3.7 Rather enjoyed that. Never heard this (or of this) before, but it seemed to fuse and blend lots of genres and artists I admire. Good atmosphere. Not really one to extract individual songs, works best as a set.

Post rock? That I’ve not heard before? Excellent. And it was.

Pretty great post-rock. This won’t appeal to everyone and that’s fine. It works for me. Djed is one of those modern day standards that still sounds exciting and immersive. Not a bad track here. Hope TNT is also included.

Really glad I put this on as an earphones-listen as I think this would have passed me by if it was just on while doing other stuff. Hard to say whether I will come back to this one, but as an instrumental atmospheric album I found this quite impressive.

Pretty great, the kinda stuff I like hearing on this project

Didn't think I'd ever heard of Tortoise or heard the music, but tracks two and three were definitely familiar. An interesting trip in post rock and I'm sure I hear echoes of it in things that came later.

This is the kind of discovery I came here for.

Rating: 4.7/5 Short Review: Patient, hypnotic, and quietly futuristic. It builds atmosphere through repetition and texture instead of big emotional gestures. Feels like thought itself slowly unfolding. Favorite Track: “Djed.” A massive slow-burn that somehow keeps reshaping itself without breaking the mood. You drift inside it instead of just listening to it.

This felt right in a serene Sunday morning.

The first song, Djed, had some weird moments. Otherwise, I was very into this album!

ok i loved this...i felt like i was in a parody cop show, solving silly crimes...

Liked it way more than I thought I would. Really interesting combination of math rock and ambient sounds.

really solid

Interesting without being too repetitive on the samples used. This is cool.

Bold. Big, long opening track. Loads of off-grooves and strange textures. Very different to the usual. TNT is better, but this is very good.

Пост рок весь похож, но эти ребята вроде бы как одни из пионеров.

Pleasant. Relaxing. Reminds me of when I started messing around with music.

Extremely happy to see this one turn up – heard lots of good reports, though never got around to listening before now. First impressions are very positive, and two spins in and I’m really enjoying the mix of electronica, dub and Café Exil-style Eurocentricity. It all feels very ‘70s, cultured and old, but weirdly contemporary. A real find! 9/10

Djed Along the Banks of Rivers

We played this to death when it came and even went to see them live though my mate left as they sounded too much like the album!! Not heard it a long while so interested to see how it sounds now.

It makes me very happy to see this album, or any Tortoise album, made the list! Such a great super band. The metaphysical soundtrack for a beautiful movie never written. Unique songwriting approaches, significant noise, haunting textures, rhythmic intrigue. I just love what they do. And having seen them perform this and other albums live, I love the way they do it. This is the state of the art for some subcategory of modern jazz.

Wonderful ambient/instrumental record with lots of character and interesting sounds. A pleasant listening experience. I’m looking forward to more Tortoise.

Me gusto el concepto del álbum

Arrancamos semana completa con una desconocida de un género a explorar como es el post-rock. Full ambiental. Ideal para días nublados o mañanas tranquilas. Gustó. Sobre todo, la canción que arranca el álbum. Nos vemos mañana, nuevamente con semana corta.

This was a cool vibe

Great album with dream like feel to it. Only thing from making this 5/5 was the first song. It didn't hit me atleast on this first listening, but I will have to see what I say about it after another listening or two. Best track was A Survey.

One of the first records in post-rock genre. You can feel punk influence. I like it!

The first track is one of my favorite tunes of the 1990s. Deeeeep bass I could listen to all day. Cavernous.

So glad there were no lyrics because this was a GREAT instrumental album

very enjoyable

Some music is a matter of taste and Tortoise is definitely that. But I love everything about it. Two basses, xylophones, meandering compositions, the drumming, it's all great. It's just art, don't overthink it.

This was a good surprise. I have never heard of them before. Perfect for my work mix.

Very impressive instrumentation, atmosphere, and songwriting on this album. Shout out David Pajo. 8/10

Love that it Tjed opens and lays out the plan. The bass and drum solid says it all straight out. Subtle, inventive, intriguing, I'm out of adjectives. Love this.

Oh man I loved this! Was not familiar with the band or the individual members but reading about them they certainly have put in some work. I've been in a real Sigur Ros/Jonsi mood since returning from Reykjavik and Tortoise easily slips into my current state of mind.

7.5/10

Very good breakfast music with the girls, never heard before

It might be slightly odd that one track is more than half the album, but it's a sprawling epic so go on then. The flip side can feel patchy by comparison but by no means an afterthought.

Never gonna be my favorite post rock classic but I appreciate it for its idiosyncrasies and lower stakes.

First time listening to this band, maybe the best background music yet, lots of crazy textures and sounds.

I’m not sure how I feel about this album. I enjoyed it but I think the album can challenge you because it seems like there isn’t a destination and just a journey. It’s a decent journey. The people play extremely well and know where they’re going it’s just not exciting along the way.

I get the impression thar 1001 albums does not choose a band's best albums but has a preference towards early/imfluential albums. So instead of TNT or standards, we get Millions Now Living ...

I enjoyed this more than I expected.

A pretty good instrumental chill album.

This is a great vibe! I've listened to it before, but it's been a while. This and the next one , TNT, are just great background/focus albums. There are some albums on this list that I've said are good for background music and most of them are Just that. But this holds up under active listening, too. The music is great, intricate and experimental, and always solidly done. It's one of those that I won't really point at a particular song because I just think of the whole thing as one listen. Even the way it's set up promotes that "whole album" listen vibe because the first song meanders and changes and sounds like different songs just as much as the others that are individually named do. Great album. Worth listening to and being on the list. But I can't see giving it a 5 either. I like everything about it, but if it hadn't popped up, I don't know that it has made such an impression on me that I'd have remembered to come back to it. Did it change music and influence dozens of bands? I don't really think so. So, it's great, but not historically noteworthy or groundbreaking. Going with the 4!

8/10

I liked the sounds, very experimental but it made me want to buy a synthesizer!

I went into this album without any knowledge of the group or the recording and it blew me away. It's not surprising that David Pajo was involved in this because the production and style reminds me a lot of his work in other bands. It's a terrific record that extends rock in a new and interesting way.

None of these songs will be added to a playlist, but I found this album immensely satisfying. So chirpy and bouncy, but with this heavy undertone. I can easily focus whilst this is on, and have it guide my thoughts

I think this is my introduction to post-rock? Or at the very least, this is the first time it clicked with me. To draw a dartboard comparison, some aspect of this album reminded me of the Minecraft soundtrack, which is weird to say but I think it rings true. There are defined melodies here, something that is much appreciated when I listen to these experimental leaning albums. Even more so, this album almost feels like jazz, only swapping out a few instruments for ones more often found in rock music. It's a bit repetitive and freeform at times, but for what it is I think it does a really nice job at not overstaying its welcome and presenting appealing musical ideas. Highlight: The Taut and Tame Lowlight: Dear Grandma and Grandpa

Sinceramente muito inspirador!!

i was gonna say that this album would be dope asl with some vocals, but actually im glad they just let the instruments breathe. insanely good production and atmosphere. this was such a sick listen cool asf

Сложно не воспринимать пост-рок не как фоновую музыку, особенно если вообще нет вокала. Но тут ещё и краут-рок затесался

Мало знаком с пост-роком, как таковым, только очень поверхностно. Соответственно, фанатом не являюсь и мало что по-настоящему оценил. И ожидал, что это будет примерно то же самое, с поправкой на более раннюю эпоху. В целом, так и получилось, но само качество музыки меня приятно удивило. Зачастую альбомы надоедают к концу, здесь же наоборот, сначала было скучновато, и я уже думал, что весь альбом окажется пустым фоновым эмбиентом, но где-то с середины Djed вдруг начались интересные (для 90х) эксперименты со звуком, а следующие более короткие треки и вовсе зацепили приятными мелодиями и нестандартными размерами. В итоге даже не хотелось, чтобы альбом заканчивался. Да, это все еще фоновая музыка, но в то же время и нечто большее. С пост-роком вообще зачастую сложно что-то объяснить и проанализировать - тебя либо цепляет, либо не цепляет. В меня попало, даже интересно послушать что еще есть у этих ребят.

Нот май тайп оф шит. Не знала о них до этого и вряд ли включу еще раз. Нормик, но без вокала утомительно.

Лучшая песня: Glass Museum Худшая: Djed Нормальный пост-рок, ничего сверхъестественного. Те же Bark Psychosis были раньше, но звучат поинтереснее. Не знаю, почему именно этот альбом был выбран среди миллиона подобных пластинок. Ждём Godspeed You! Black Emperor?

Неплохой построк, но я люблю более мрачный и тяжелый. Топ трек - glass museum

Haven't listened to this one in years. Used to have this in heavy rotation back in the early 2000s. I actually like all of the songs on this record better than "Djed;" having been in many an aimless jam session, I recognize the signs, and "Djed" really should've been edited down a bit more. The transitions are excellent, but there is just too much fat on this for me. The rest of the record is brilliant though. "Glass Museum" and "Along the Banks of the Rivers" are both full of beautiful moments. FOUR STARS

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. It was ambient and I found myself thinking that I couldn't picture them at a concert, but it was well built. I really liked it on headphones.

Post rock. Would have to listen more to properly rate

Idk why but this kicked my ADHD's ass. Enjoyed overall and will probably listen again when I have to do something I've been procrastinating.

David Pajo i see you ! really nice loved it

Math-y Metal-y. Pretty good!

Interesting arrangements and sonic landscapes. Chilled.

New to me and pleasantly surprising. Worth your time.

Très bonne surprise!!

Chill, bit tripy. The first song has a funny break i thought the connection is breaking

I had been meaning to explore Tortoise more for a long time now. Really glad this album was served up. I'm a sucker for this style. Post-rock, art rock, somewhat experimental. I'll agree with the one reviewer who said that that track order should have been a bit different. That's first song is a bit overly ambitious to kickoff an album and should have been at the end. It's a bit different from typical post-rock in that if doesn't follow that formula of soft melody that builds to a great crescendo that is then deconstructed. I'm looking forward to my next listen of this one for sure.

got excited to see it's only 6 tracks before i realized the first track is like 20+ minutes. i'm willing to keep an open mind tho Djed - 3/5 Glass Museum - 5/5 A Survey - 2/5 The Taut and Tame - 4/5 Dear Grandma and Grandpa - 2/5 Along the Banks of Rivers - 5/5 Average score: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ based on the length of the first track, i was ready to give this 1 star and keep it pushing. boy was i wrong i think my enjoyment of this album is a bit mixed, of course, but i think there's quite a bit to appreciate about it too. it's experimental for sure, but not in an off-putting way like some others i've heard; it's actually quite soothing and meditative i definitely never would've seeked this out on my own, but for once, i can say i'm glad the author put me on to this. for that, i'll generously round my scoring up this time

Sleeper hit.

Really moving stuff

I’ve had to listen to this a couple of times to get the hang of it. It’s not exactly catchy. More like Brian Eno ambient mixed with Steve Reich rhythms and David Lynch moodiness. In fact, it could be a soundtrack album. You won’t leave it humming a tune necessarily, but it’s intriguing.

Really enjoyed this, added to the listening roster. Great early post rock.

Rewards patience in a similar way to Philip Glass

It really is amazing that I have never heard of this band, I can hear there influence or so many artists I am a huge fan of. If you are into varied textures and non standard song structures this one might be for you!

За гурт чув, але ніколи не слухав до цього. Сподобався пост-рок заміс з ф'юженом. Особливо, коли в більш джеззі моменти уходить, то чудовий взагалі. Буду ще слухати далі, є потенціал на 5.

Дуже люблю цей гурт, а Millions Now Living Will Never Die є на вінілі в мене. Такого пост-рока треба більше, не тупориле псевдодраматичне тремоло, а вигадлива, технічна інструментальна музика з прекрасною атмосферою.

Digga an sich echt cool höre ich mir sage irgendwann nichmal an im gym kann man sich das nur bei bestem willen nicht geben gerade am leg day

A lot to unpack in a single evening of listening. Loads of ideas and noise, arty, cinema style, picture painting, but not particularly enjoyable at first listen. I imagine this will need multiple goes to get into.

Seemed a bit post-rock, which in general I like. Some of it strayed into prog/jazz sounds, which I am less keen on. Overall positive though.

I'd never heard of Tortoise, but this mellow, instrumental album impressed me.

I've been getting into post rock more and more so this is a sweet spot for me. Solid album and I will look into these guys more down the road.

Great instrumental rock album Standout song Djed

All-instrumental band Tortoise may be from Chicago but their music has clear antecedents in German rock bands from the 70's like Neu! and Can, as is most evident on the opening track, the 20-minute epic "Djed". Other influences like Eno, King Crimson and Steve Reich can be heard on this record, but it does maintain its own idiosyncratic identity, which is especially on display in the lyrical guitar melodies and lush textures heard in the tracks on side two. The record does drag in a couple of spots and there are a few less-than-stellar tracks but for the most part this album works well as a cohesive whole.

Progish background music. Pretty at times and melodic, and then deconstructed. Not really what I needed today, but knowing this exists might help in the future. That first song, though... man... everyone says it's long, and that's both a warning and a blessing. It's pretty, but LONG and repetitive. My Rating: 4/5

A good respite from the usual, I greatly prefer this to the electronic music on the list. Musician making music.

Utterly delicious instrumental post rock, dripping with ideas, melody, intrigue, and subtlety. The opening track fills all of side one and threatens to dominate the album with its delicate balance between scripted perfection and loose jam. Successful and captivating as it remains across its 20+ mins, it can’t dominate when side two packs just as much joy into briefer segments. They went on to make at least 2 better albums than Millions…, but this set very high bar for expectations.

Very interesting and experimental rock album. It falls under the Post-Rock genre but, because it was still early in the movement's history, it is not plagued by the Godspeed You! Black Emperor-aping crescendocore structure that has became so prevalent during the 00's. Tortoise's following album, TNT, is also great and quite different from this one. Key tracks: Djed The Taut and the Tame

Really cool instrumentation and production

A really fascinating album, I actually really enjoyed it. I want to give it another listen soon, it’s so weird and jazzy. Four for now, but I might switch it to a five.

3.5

3.5

Not my favourite post-rock, but still very enjoyable. 4 stars

I have a couple of Tortoise albums in my library, so I kind of knew what to expect here. This is the critically acclaimed second album that for some reason I'd not played before. The long opening track reminds me strongly of the German rock of the mid 1970s - I suppose it has that 'motorik' feel typical of Harmonia, Neu! and maybe Can and the like. Then it sort of expands out.

I remember seeing this cover when digging through albums at the store back in the day. I've never heard it. So far, it is an extremely chill album. Man, that first song messed me up about 14 minutes in. Oh, I'm digging the flow of the 2nd track! Actually, all the remaining tracks, as well. How did I miss this album in the 90's?? I'll now listen to the rest of their catalog. This album bounces around from ambient to math rock to trip hop and is delightful. Worthy of a 4, for sure.

Really enjoyed my first listen of this album

I died a little inside when I saw this started with a 20 minute instrumental but Djed builds on itself in interesting ways. I didn't love the glitch section around 14 minutes in but the drums that followed after make up for it. Mostly. What it reminds me of, surprisingly, is Akira Yamaoka. Glass Museum and A Survey and Along the Banks of Rivers have that melancholy guitar you'd hear on something like End of Small Sanctuary or Promise. Back half of the album is stronger / more of what I like but this is a great album to listen to in its entirety added to collection

How did I not know about these guys ? This is exactly my kind of music ! It’s a beautiful, meditative album full of haunting loops and melodies, and it absolutely does not deserve such a low global rating. The album constantly experiments with a wide range of sounds and styles without ever losing its cohesiveness or intensity. There’s clearly a lot of different influences here, from krautrock to jazz, minimalism and early 90s electronica / IDM ; but they all blend together quite well, and the album never feels bloated or overstuffed. Tortoise managed to keep things simple and straighforward, even in their more experimental pieces. That being said – and that’s my only gripe with this album – I feel a bit uncomfortable about a few songs, and mainly the opening track : as great as it is, Djed takes the "influence" aspect dangerously close to plagiarism territory. The first half of the song is a very obvious NEU imitation, right down to the tonality and rythm of their first album, while the second half is closely modelled on Philip Glass' Qatsi period. It sometimes feels like the band is just trying to showcase their imitation skills, and it makes for an album that sounds a bit rehashed or derivative. Fortunately that's not the case for every song ; tracks like Glass Museum or Along the Banks of Rivers feel more organic and natural. A hard choice between a 4 and a 5*. Ultimately I’ll go with a 4* because they copied a bit too much, and invented too little in my humble opinion... but I’m definitely getting the rest of their discography ! 8/10

No dignity No GPT Happily surprised by this album. Apparently it’s categorized as post rock. So maybe that explains hahaha. However I’m a fan of long tunes, over 15 min. Back then electronic music was emerging as something that would be long lasting. So, in that album I enjoyed the long construction. I also enjoyed how they work on sound itself, and make imperfections part of the whole production (cf. Matthew Herbert in electronic music, about « mistakes » and it eponymous album). Personally I would have enjoyed some more groovy harmonics , or at least more deepening in that matter. There was space for it, even while keeping the « rough » feeling and giving all its space to the drums and the bass. All in all, it made me want to dig more that band, and discover their 2025 just released album. 14/20

Djed // Glass Museum // 3.5/5

Post-rock is so cool. It's not for everyone, but it's absolutely for me, which is all that matters. Admittedly this isn't my favorite post-rock album, but it's not bad at all. Millions Now Living Will Never Die is a pretty cool album. It's a fully instrumental album, but the textures of the music and the high quality of the compositions make for an engaging album. I think the bass work especially is perfect for the music. The songs are interesting. "Djed" is the mandatory "long-ass-song" of the post-rock album, and it's great. It really does feel like a musical journey of sorts. "Glass Museum" is also super cool. The lack of vocals is something that I'm fine with. It allows the atmospheric nature of the music to really shine. Here's the thing with the post-rock representation on this list. I don't think any of the post-rock albums included on the list are bad. The Sigur Rós album, Spiderland, and this are all excellent, though I do find this to be my least favorite of the three. However, I feel like there are some glaring omissions from the scene that probably should've been included over this album. That's not to say that I want this to be removed. This is among the more influential post-rock albums in general. However, if you give me the choice between this and an album like Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, I'm picking Godspeed over this just about every time. Both bands can coexist, obviously, but I'm just saying that if I had to pick one over the other (which I wouldn't), I wouldn't choose this one. Still, while I can't call this the best post-rock album of all time, it's still a great album that proves that I really am a big fan of the genre, aren't I? High 4/5.

Surprisingly pleasant instrumental group. I let this album run on into the next release on Spotify by accident. I felt this one was fine but I think TNT actually agreed more with me.

Moody and experimental. The tracks do seem to drag on a bit.

I dug this pretty well, and I think it's got room to grow on me. "Djed" has a bit of a NEU! thing going on that I appreciate, and I really didn't mind the length at all (that's what she said). "Glass Museum" and "The Taut and Tame" also stood out to me on first listen. It tailed off a bit for me in the final two tracks, but I'm interested to revisit this one and see if I can sink my teeth into it even more. 3.5/5

I seriously didn’t expect to like this album as much as I did. Over the weekend I ended up listening to it a few times. “Glass Museum” with that vibraphone? Totally love it!

This was a perfect listen for some quiet time and I’ve already added to a playlist for the future. Captivating, atmospheric instrumental tracks. Listened to it all through twice. NOTE: I’m still not sure if it was the digital version I listened to or part of the song but at 13:56 on the first track there was what sounded like drops and garbles.

Worth a few re-listens! I enjoy this more than most of the newer, more spa-friendly post-rock bands. Never heard of them before.

Chill, instrumental. You know I love those vibes

Sweeping instrumentals, Avant Garde, mutating melodies, bass-heavy, post-rock, tracks ranging from 20 minutes to 2 minutes in duration. Yes, I am here for this music. Never heard of Tortoise before, but after my first listen-through, I instantly categorised them on my internal music shelf as sitting somewhere between Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai. That's hallowed ground.

3,5

i recently had to look after a tortoise for about a week, she was kind of prickly, but very cool, steady and decisive. so basically Tortoise picked their name well

Enjoyed this way more than i thought i would

Solid.jamz

An excellent addition to the post-rock genre. It's a slow burn - make sure you're listening attentively.

This is how you do chilled jazzy ambient tunes. Great stuff.

I actually really kinda liked this. I usually am quite negative toward these super long post rock songs with no vocals that go on forever but this one had enough to me that I enjoyed it. Good background music in a non derogatory way. 8/10

Finally one that I fully enjoyed!

It was good concentration music , I don’t usually like instrumental stuff but it was good

Incredible sounds on this album. Manages to be super relaxed while also being esoteric and off kilter at the same time

Pretty good one, good rainy day vibe Will I listen to again: 73%

Wonderful listen! All the twists and turns in Djed, the minimalist electronic sound and is great and then it just jumps at you with some great free jazz and post rock. Great stuff 7/10 Favorite tracks- “Djed” “The Taut and Tame”

This is great backgroundy/ambient stuff. My wife thinks I’m crazy.

Little weird

Don't know the rest of their stuff very well but I've always liked this one

How haven't I heard this before? I enjoyed it

I've always had a soft spot for Tortoise. They're not the kind of band you'd get stuck in your head and there are no obvious singles anywhere in sight. But it's great background music when you need to get some work done. I don't want to sell them short though, because there's actually a lot going on here. Tortoise were pioneers of post-rock, blending electronic music, jazz, and krautrock. The band members are all multi-instrumentalists, with none of them specializing in any in particular. This allows them to switch around instruments at a whim, often mid-song. Their instrumental rock isn't hindered by needs for hooks or confined structures of songs. The band members all have other projects, so Tortoise remains a place of freedom to experiment as they please. Future post-rock bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor had the road opened to them by the early work of Tortoise and others. The music may be too complex to hum along to exactly, but you can either analyze it or let it wash over you. For what they do, Tortoise are one of the best.

Gentle and beautiful

Enjoyed this a fair amount, the last 5 tracks especially had this sorta deconstructed vibe to them, focusing on particular sounds and kinda droning them along… light 4

Tortoise was one of those bands i always felt like i was supposed to like but never knew why and guess what... i do like them... so take that!

Yo solía pensar que el post rock era otra cosa, pero ya que a esto le han puesto esta etiqueta me lo voy a creer. Este disco me da más vibras a un ambient rock y a electronic jazz que a otra cosa, pero etiquetas aparte, me parece un álbum muy conseguido. Un sonido sofisticado, muy bien producido y solo apto para paladares eclécticos y open minded. Habilidad infinita para crear atmósferas y estados de ánimo nada convencionales.

This was great, the vibes were awesome and I’m gonna look into Tortoise more, : )

This was an introduction to Tortoise for me, and I’m glad this album is on the list because I really enjoyed it. They remind me a lot of Do Make Say Think, a band I discovered on accident when Amazon sent me the wrong vinyl record one time and I got their You You’re A History In Rust record instead, which I kept after looking it up and discovering that it’s well regarded. I loved that album and this Tortoise album (released a decade before YYAHIR) reminds me a lot of it. This is an all instrumental album that doesn’t serve well as background music because it demands your attention. The music shifts within a song, and different instruments take lead in interesting ways throughout. Without digging into the band for timing reasons, they sound like they have a bass player, guitar player, percussionist, and a fourth member who I can only describe as “weird sound guy” whose job it is to make interesting sounds from things that are not instruments. I don’t know how right I am about this, but I like the approach if it’s true.

Very trippy slow acid rock

this was really nice. dynamic and yet unobtrusive. i don’t generally seek out this kind of music but i enjoyed this for what it is.

this was very lovely. perfect kind of ambient music — just interesting enough that it doesn’t get tedious, but not distracting.

Wikipedia says this is a “post-rock” band. I don’t know what that means but I do know that I kind of love it. I don’t know when I would think to seek it out, but this was a good listen. Also Spotify went directly into a Mogwai tune after this album which led me into listening to one of their albums. Very similar and also gorgeous!

I did not expect to like this when it popped up ... but I did. I think that will grow the more I listen!

Excellent album ! À réécouter ! Et une discographie à explorer ! J’imagine que plein de groupes tirent leurs inspirations de Tortoise. Je pense à GY!BE, Mogwai et autres.

Very enjoyable. Really helped my brain.

Love instrumental music! This will need more listening!

Really great post-rock album with post-minimalism influences. You can hear NEU! and Steve Reich in there, which is a combination made in heaven

Interesting modern take on krautrock.

This instrumental album feels like a sweet dream, blending krautrock, math rock, post rock and minimalism in the best possible way!

glass museum 🌀

Different and kind of cool. Not sure why it’s top 1001 albums.

Oh, I love this sort of thing. I can see how, for a lot of people, the meandering tracks can fade in to the background, but they hold my attention and evoke interesting mental images and story threads. Great stuff. 4.5

middle part of Djed (around the 12 minutes mark) is a clear pastiche of music for 18 musicians, but it's a great piece of music so it's not a complaint

prefiro o TNT? sim, sem dúvidas mas esse é mto bom tbm, deus abençoe

uai?????? esse eu nao esperava. de fato, o tnt é melhor hein. mas esse num fica atras não!! bem bonitão atmosférico do jeito que post-rock tem que ser. lindo demais!!

I quite liked this, but can’t put my finger on why.

Tortoise puts out music that is both timeless and contemporary.

so sick

Nice music for my plane ride

TNT's a little better, but Tortoise are awesome regardless. Cool this is here.

Never came across this band before, but, what a find, great musical journey!

Wish I had more time to spend with this. I like it and it's got some pretty interesting things going on with it musically in a proggy-jazzy kind of way. I would come back to this.

I liked this pretty well. It was a challenging listen at first, but also incredibly rewarding once I let the music wash over me. I agree with some reviewer that said it's background music that refuses to stay in the background. For a weekend album, it was much harder to put this on in the background when doing more activities, but I made time for it because I had a theory that if I kept listening to it that it would get better. I have no idea if this is the best of their work or whatever because this is the first time I've listened to them. What unique and complex music!

There are moments during "Djed" where I remind myself that someone wrote and recorded this, because it feels like music that has just always existed. There are other moments where I think, "Why did they choose this here?" only to seconds later be entirely captivated and swept away by that same choice. It's a song/composition/saga that rewards multiple listens, and it's so packed full of good stuff that multiple listens is not a chore, despite its running time. I wish that the other 20 minutes on this record matched it, but they don't, though they're all very listenable. I peeked and saw that this is the only Tortoise album on the list. That's a shame because the next one, TNT, is just as great, and more consistent start to finish.

pretty cool pop album

GY!BE if it was more math rock than drone. 7/10

An interesting listen. I'd come back to it

New addition to the Happy Work Focus playlist!

Great album to start the day with. Good vibe.

The beginning of the first song (Djed) made me feel like soldier in a war going on a secret mission with cool, strange soundtrack on the background. Even though the song is 20 minutes long it has great pace and keeps you intrested about what will be next. It slowly turns from just sound effects to multi-instrumental. The second part of song made big affect on me in a nostalgic way, It felt like listening to child playing with everything that gets in his hands. The song does good job keeping you interested but still there are moments where you think it is TOO LONG. The second song(Glass Museum) feels like manipulative girlfriend, in some period of time she makes you feel miserable and does not do anything to stay with you but suddenly she starts to be interesting, entertaining and BEAUTIFUL. The song turns its sound down just to start something even more heavenly in a second. Third song is nothing special and kinda boring for me. The fourth song gives off different feelings in different parts, sometimes negative sometimes positive, more drums would make the song much better. In moments you feel like youre listening to nothing but strange background. I feel like this album is different movie soundtracks stacked together and fifth song is great example of that for me. The last song does not give off same vibe as the whole album, it feels heavier and kinda western. 3.5

Tortoise’s second album, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, stands as a pivotal moment in post-rock’s evolution. Drawing its name from a 1920s prophecy by Jehovah’s Witness leader Joseph Rutherford, the album embraces the spirit of transformation musically and conceptually. The 20-minute opener “Djed” exemplifies this: a shape-shifting, genre-blending journey through krautrock repetition, jazz textures, dub echoes, and ambient electronics. The record’s influence echoes alongside other ‘90s post-rock staples like Hex and Laughing Stock, proving that Tortoise weren’t just experimenting they were helping define an entire movement.

Did I detect... was there... was there Gamelan on that? Best post rock record on here so far. Fantastic album.

I like post-rock, but missed Tortoise until now. Very chill, like the Lofi Girl of post-rock. Great as a daily life soundtrack, probably wouldn’t see live.

Love Tortoise. Been spinning this since it dropped. But “albums you need to hear before you die”? Please. It’s not even their best one. Fantastic background music for doing literally anything. Except dying.

Halfway through the wandering opening track, the Tubular Bell flashbacks were real. But then it carries on meandering and by the end we've been through some stuff together. We're not getting a tattoo to celebrate, but perhaps we're asking Facey Friends? and doing a selfie. It's harmonious enough to put on and leave on; nothing needs skipping, and there's moments of real mood development. Great Math Rock

Really liked this, found it a bit Krautrockesque. Plus Glass Museum took me right back to seeing Robin Guthrie over a decade ago so I’m all for that.

Pretty calm and atmospheric post rock album. Need to listen to TNT after

I had no idea this existed, but it’s great. Loving it.

Real talk, take out that first 20 minute slog of a casio demo they call a song, and you have an incredible instrumental EP!

Post rock. Reminds me of slint. Probably because members of that band are in this one.

I love Tortoise. I can see how they could be polarizing to new listeners, but give them your time and attention. This is an album you need to just sink into. The opening track "Djed" is one of their best songs, a behemoth that tows the line between krautrock, electronica, minimalism, etc. The album's beats and bass lines are phenomenal throughout, nothing is ever conventional or cliche.

Very textural and atmospheric. I really enjoyed this album. Wasn't expecting it to be fully instrumental, but pleasantly surprised. Never heard of Tortoise before today, but glad this list exists so I could get something new and refreshing.

приятная музычка.

Not what I was expecting, but enjoyable.

Great album, bunch of points were I felt like it sounded familiar to some modern tracks.

Good music, I dig it.

Really nice post-rock - will listen again!

Very lovely atmospheric post rock album, 2nd and last songs excellent and will listen again, 4.5/5

Man oh man I loved this. My interest in post-rock has been creeping up in recent years and this feels like a definitive post-rock record. The genre influences are diverse without being too kooky, things feel tastefully woven together. It's a many-colored cloth of musical expression that took me on a journey.

86/100. It’s the kind of record you can completely get lost in, with its slow pacing, subtle build-ups, and an underlying eerie, atmospheric tone.

Winderfulky weird

Never heard this before, great ambient album

Textured, fresh, and actually kind of moving, which is not something I would expect to feel listening to instrumental post-rock. A pleasant surprise.

cool to see a post-rock album on here! i've never heard of tortoise but apparently this is a hugely influential album for the genre. djed was kinda long and dull but i really liked the rest of the tracks, particularly the two that immediately followed. the music isn't really getting the party started, but it's evocative and varied enough that i'll give it four stars. favorites: glass museum, a survey

Hypnotic and atmospheric music. Very interesting ambient sound.

Really great stuff, great bass work in particular

Cool record, reminds me of Swans

This puzzled me on release, as did every other post-rock record I sought out back then because someone mentioned “Spiderland”. Yet it left a deep impression as this is all familiar three decades on, comforting and delightful. One of those records where everything sounds close, calling out from across the pillow. I appreciate it more, grateful to have been taken back to it.

Fun post rock album

Нормально так, можно иногда послушать фоном. 6,5 из 10.

Interesting background music while working.

The wife and I drove around today doing errands today and this was a perfect soundtrack to that. I really dug this quite a bit. It was chill but still kept me interested. A, nice discovery.

Y'know, I think I just needed to get a sense of perspective. See, I'm writing this review a few days after this album was picked for my group, and I'll be upfront: I hesitated so long on it entirely because of the genre attached to it on Wikipedia. "Post-rock." Eee-yuck'o. If that don't sound like the kind of snooty, up-its-own-ass artsy "Oh, we're **too good** to make **enjoyable music**" shit I rag on post-punk for all the time. I mean, really, at this rate it seems like I'm afraid of most any genre with "post-" in front of it. I was worried — honestly. From the genre alone, it sounded like this was gonna be a torturously intolerable mess. Just pure noise for 35 minutes that I'm supposed to like because it's artsy. I've ranted extensively about this sort of thing before. So what finally got me to actually listen to this thing, huh? Well, first of all, I'm tired of getting reminder e-mails. "Did you know you have a new album you haven't rated?" Deleted on sight, every time — as if I didn't know I was behind. The second thing, though, was — well, like I said: perspective. I had to remind myself why I was even partaking in this list in the first place. It's not something I've entirely forgotten about, but I guess I just needed to think it out loud again. To put it in short, I'm here to expand my horizons. To look out of my bubble and truly discover what my tastes are. After all, if I just stay in place and never venture outside, I'll never truly know what they are or aren't. So, really, I shouldn't be afraid of anything that aims to challenge me. Post-punk, post-rock — whatever. Even if I end up not liking it, I tried it and found out how I felt. That's something. I mean, if anything, I should be reserving my ire for shit that's just playing it safe. Y'know, not really doing anything beyond the minimum, yet it somehow ended up in this book because some old person recalled it being revolutionary at the time. But that's a rant for another day — probably when my group gets another 60's psych rock album? I'unno. But that's enough preamble. I've finally made the trek with Tortoise, and now I'm able to tell you what I've found. For starters, I found that I had nothing to worry about. Like, I'm realizing now I probably did myself the biggest disservice by loading up the first track on YouTube — the scariest of them all, 20-some minutes! — and randomly clicking around. All I ended up hearing was the bits of transitional noise and I got myself all worried that that was going to be most of this album. Just a lot of jacking around and making noise because, hey, it's "not traditional rock structure" or whatever. But like I said, it turned out to be just transitional noise. There's actually a lot of nice melodies on here, and the rest of the album. It's... Like, it's just such a vibe, y'know? Not exactly ambient music, but I think it works very well in that lane. Jus'... Good shit to lean back to. And I particularly really liked the last track for the whole "cowboy revenge flick" energy I got off of that guitar. It grabbed my attention away from the other thing I was writing as I had the album on and is for sure something I can do some good Fantasiaing to. Gotta give those kinda props wherever I can. There's not much I really wanna say beyond that. It's just some really good, vibe-y, ambient-type music. I dig that a lot, even if I wouldn't say it blew my mind or anything.. In fact, it's got me thinking I should have saved that whole preamble for another album like KOLLAPS or LOCUST ABORTION TECHNICIAN — the true thing I'm talking about when I talk about expanding my horizons. But, eh, I wasn't lying about those being my thoughts coming into this thing, so... Yeah. Honestly kinda wish I didn't take to get this album, 'coz, hey, I ended up getting more out of it than I did MANASSAS, that's for sure. I mean, goodness...

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. I wasn’t expecting this to be a fully instrumental album, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing – I liked the first 26 minutes and 24 seconds of this album a lot. If this album were just the first two tracks, I’d be at a 5. So, what exactly do the last 16 minutes and 36 seconds do to warrant bumping this down by a point & a half? Well… nothing, really. That’s a positive & a negative – the last 4 tracks here are fully competent tracks that fit in decently enough with the rest of the album, maintain the mood, and they’re fine enough to listen to. They also do absolutely nothing for their runtimes, and as such, they’re very one-note compared to the bigger journeys present in the soundscapes of the first two tracks. Those first two tracks aren’t perfect, but they kept me on my toes by changing up the soundscape every minute or two, so it was easier to stay engaged with them. The last 4 tracks find their soundscape immediately, and just never really change, so the feeling of a journey is lost. It wouldn’t be a bad thing if they didn’t show they could competently & effectively do it so well on the first two tracks. The only one that comes close to finding that journey is the last track, “Along the Banks of Rivers”, but it’s still fundamentally just a percussive beat, a wall of sound, and some up/down guitar hits that feel like they’re from a SpongeBob track. I do feel like I’m being just a little unfair towards this – perhaps my overt attention on the first 2 tracks gave me a bad impression for the last 4, since those first 2 just felt more rich to me. I might need to listen to this in a pure zen state, just to see if the last tracks click better, or to see if they are just that “bland” comparatively. Overall, though, I did like this. It’s competently done ambient music with some high highs (great guitar, expressive percussion, fun synth work) and some flat lows (droning one-note walls, a few blatant drum loops, less engaging guitar) that feels sort of like a prototype for what Radiohead would more successfully commercially blend on Kid-A. It’s an inoffensive 43 minutes, and while I can see how that inoffensive style makes it easy to ignore and give a 2 or something, I think it’s at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4 because it really did engage me for those first 2 tracks. If over half the album’s runtime is that good, who am I to bump it all the way down?