Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Electronic
Aika erikoinen levy! Täytyy kuunnella uudemman kerran. Sopi tällaiseen sumuiseen aamuun kyllä! 3/5
Miellyttävä postrock-levy, mutta olen kuullut parempiakin. 3.5/5
Chill laid back instrumental. Sounded great in background to reading. Weird transition towards end of first song, where I thought my streaming service was getting spotty connection.
It was literally impossible not to zone out to this and I don't know if that was the intention or not
Somewhat alternative and interesting. But probably won't listen to this again.
I really enjoyed certain parts of this album, particularly "Glass Museum" and "Along the Banks of Rivers", but it was mostly too repetitive for me. The opening track had no need to be so long, especially since there was not a lot of interesting stuff happening in there. It's nice background music but I doubt I'll replay this. 3 stars
For a while I've been meaning to listen to "TNT" which was the album Tortoise released after this one so this was a nice introduction to the band. This is just a nice chill album. Perfect for a snowy day like today. kind of reminded me of Fishmans which is a favorite of mine. This album didn't knock my socks off but I could see myself revisiting it. Favorite track: Djed
запомню ли я что построк иногда не имеет слов? тбд! альбом милый, местами напомнило культиста, местами эффект Кандинского
Instrumental
First listen. Decent.
Interesting post-rock (a couple of post-hardcore sounding moments). Lots of rhythmic patterns. I enjoyed it overall. Would take more listens to decide if I'm really into it.
Not exciting
This album sounded very similar to the title and how the cover looked. Background music core
mostly indie atmospheric instrumentals, some annoying repetitive bits. okay to work with
Was not familiar with Tortoise - but had looked at the Global reviews and was rather looking forward to this. Unfortunately whilst I did like Djed I found the rest very bland and lacking any emotional heft or connection and all a bit vanilla and plodding.
Deserves a star for the album title alone. Otherwise, not great, not bad.
The album kind of lulls you into it. It started but once the first song ended then it was like the album was done. Not necessarily bad but also not a great sign overall. It was fine.
Something to have on in the background. Someone else chose to put it on though.
A fun little foray into instrumental post-rock. The "post-" genres are usually executed very poorly, whether due to too much experimentation or sheer boredom while listening – but Tortoise's effort here is solid. The first track being one 21-minute-long epic is unnecessary here, given that the transitions between sections are just as jarring as if they'd been separate tracks. Side 2 is better in this regard, and Tortoise makes some pretty great atmospheres. Fancy time signatures (including the rare 11/4 and 14/8 rhythms) are seen in The Taut and Tame and Glass Museum. A Survey goes full-on acoustic, incorporating various melodic elements from the blues genre. Along the Banks of Rivers creates a calm guitar-/synth-based atmosphere that reminds me of later-era Pink Floyd instrumentals. Glass Museum is similar, and also my favourite track on here. For all its merits, though, Millions Now Living Will Never Die is a little dull, particularly for close listening. A severe limitation of instrumental albums is that there's very little replayability. Good for background listening, but no more. 3/5 Key tracks: Glass Museum, Along the Banks of Rivers
I didn't mind this. It was chill background music for driving, but not something I'd choose to put on again. A 21 minute long song to start the album though, woof.
Meh
Der er nogle interessante elementer. Særligt den monotone rytmesektion. Men det bliver også lige lovligt avangate i udtrykket til tided
I didn't dislike it. Some parts I quite liked and overall wanted to enjoy it more, but it was just a bit boring. Maybe OK as background music.
I didn’t hate it, it was nice while I was doing a jigsaw. Maybe not what Mr Tortoise was aiming for but I’ll add it to my jigsaw rotation
Atmospheric, ambient and melancholic. A nice album for background music.
Thoughts before listening: Cool, abstract indie rock instrumentals. I went through a phase where I was really into Tortoise, but its been a long time since I have listened to these guys. Review: So this album starts out with Djed which is one of Tortoise and the genre of post-rock's most celebrated songs. Its okay. There are definitely some interesting parts, but as a whole I find it to be too long and abstract to be one of my favorites. I do however enjoy quite a bit of this album. Its certainly a journey and takes some patience to make it through, but I find it quite rewarding. There are very interesting textures and styles being incorporated throughout, especially with the shorter songs. 3-stars
Välgjort men är nt för intresserad i instrumentella album som inte är jazz
Some Explosions in the Sky vibes at times which I liked but overall it was just alright
It's a difficult listen, but rewarding in some ways. The odd instrumental lineup (I think they have like 2 bassists and 3 drummers) takes some getting used to, and the fact that almost none of the tracks have any sort of normal musical arrangement is likewise strange. The 20+ min opener is more like 5-10 short semi-musical interludes connected by rhythmic noise. A few tracks have some genuinely interesting grooves in them, and I appreciate the constantly changing odd time signatures. Not something I would probably listen to again, but intriguing.
Enjoyed it enough.
Ikkje så verst, men revolusjonerte ikkje livet mitt heller
Very interesting production. Definitely could hear and appreciated how it influenced post-rock. Could be kinda boring at times, but there's a lot here to enjoy.
Very experimental album. Yes, I remember the band with what felt like 20 drummers. But I was expecting a bit more sonic power. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be my cup of tea.
Strange post rock album that lacks some heft
They are very talented, but I am not a huge fan of the music.
Interesting, but for a different time in life.
It went by so fast, I didn't even notice
Post-rock, huh? Definitely new for me. I didn’t love this but it wasn’t terrible to listen to. Light 3.
Honestly pretty vibey. Not sure I could listen to this without it being in the background, but I didn't mind it at all.
This was really interesting. It's very meditative, something good for laying peacefully in a dark, quiet room. I love when Djed starts glitching out around 14 minutes in. I thought the aliens were intercepting for a hot sec.
3.5☆/5 09.24.2024
Was okay. Could listen to while getting some work done. 3/5
Pretty cool
I'm going up to 3 on this one even though it doesn't appeal to me as an album. I checked out the group and live and there is definitely an appeal there.
this is like, perfect background music for me. i already kinda forget what it sounded like. 3.5
I accidentally autoplayed twenty minutes of another Tortoise album so I'd say it felt samey
Hm, irgendwie abseitige Klangfummelei. Hat mich zuerst an Kraftwerk erinnert. Aber ich muss zugeben, ich habe das Album 2x angehört und ja, hat mich dann doch angesprochen. Unerwartete 3*
Interesting album, but not exactly my cup of tea. Would not return to this album or group.
Interesting
I didnt outright /like/ it but I appreciate it. for once it wasn't the same and I enjoyed the process of listening to it
#335. Decent enough, kinda background musicky. I didn't really like the first song all that much, and unfortunately that's about half of the fucking thing. I did think the rest of it was pretty good though. 3/5: decent
Instrumental post rock that screams "ignore me and write emails." I love it.
Who? Apparently it's Post-Rock/Jazz-Fusion which immediately puts me off, but I gave it a chance. First track, "Djed", is just under 21 minutes long, but reminded me of early Kraftwerk. The second track, "Glass Museum", reminded me of Gentle Giant. Overall, I quite liked it, but I wouldn't buy it.
Great ambient album, left me loving the unique sequences after each listen. Favs: Glass Museum The Taut and Tame
Stop me if you've heard this before... I mean stop this, I keep hearing it over and over. I dug the first song, until it droned. Then noticed the next song drone. Repeat. Then while cleaning the kitchen, it set a numbing vibe. But I was not high, so it diminished. But that brief stretch gets it an extra star.
2.9 listened 2x
It grows on you after the first 20m track.
This is basically ambient rock--layers building upon layers, like a parfait. No, an onion. Is that even a touch of modern classical I hear there? It goes from warm, round tones to razor-thin scratches. Soothing throughout.
First track is fantastic, the rest of the album can't quite hit those heights. Can see why this was mega-influential. Er...not a lot a else you can say. 3.5 really.
I liked this more than I expected I would after the first ten minutes. Glass Museum had a desolate vibe to it, I felt myself becoming entranced in it. The Survey and Djed didn't do much for me. The Taut and the Tame was alright. Dear Grandma and Grandpa felt like floating through space in outer wilds. Along the banks of the river was like good, bad and the ugly in space. Songs that take you someplace are special but there were some duds here too, overall enjoyed
Soundscapes. The music became entirely background.
Description of the album was so mich better than the album itself. Early post rock record, paving the way for a great genre to grow? Sounds amazing. Unfortunately the songs lack a bit of substance, all form. A slightly disappointing effort.
Interesting instrumentation
Pretty decent instrumental post-rock. Nothing particularly memorable.
I’ve never heard of this album or artist before, but based on the description, I think there’s a good chance I’m going to enjoy this album. It should make a for a stark contrast to Machito’s Kenya, which I just wrapped up. Overall, this album was fine. As far as post-rock goes, it definitely wasn’t my favorite, but it was pleasant to listen to. I did like that this album had a very jazz-adjacent in terms of song structure and flow (great follow up to Kenya, actually). “Djed” was my favorite song on the album, which really surprised me, give its 20 minute-plus run time. I really enjoyed the sounds that were utilized and how the song evolved, and I liked the use of contrasting musical sounds, like when the xylophone kicked played over the low-frequency humming sound. There was a moment in “Djed” where some heavy distortion was used, and it was really jarring, but I loved the affect it had on me. “Glass Museum” was really great as well. The song started off with a bit of a shoegaze sound, before shifting to something more frantic. I liked the xylophone melody, especially when the song became more frantic in its pacing; it provided an interesting balance to the deeper guitar melody. After the third track though, the album lost some steam with me. It didn’t feel like the album was doing anything new or exciting after that point, and I was pretty bored with the last three songs. They weren’t bad, but they certainly weren’t interesting. I enjoyed the experience of branching out and listening to an artist I’d never heard of, and I think this album is objectively pretty good. However, I don’t think I’d come back to it, mostly because if I were craving a sound like this, there are other things I’d gravitate towards first.
I liked this more than I initially thought I would. Almost like a precursor to math rock.
A soup of uncontained creativity. Pleasing to the mind more than the ear.
Stop. Rewind? Stop again?
djed, glass museum and along the banks of rivers did i like a lot. the rest odf the album (other 3 songs) did not much for me but it was a soli listen as a whole! 2.5/5.0
Fun little instrumental album
Okay
Enjoyed listening to this but was a bit similar to bands like Single Gun Theory who deserve waaaaay more attention.
I think that I enjoyed this at the time (yesterday) but 24 hours later, I have no recollection of what it even sounded like. That probably says it all.
I feel like I want to give this a positive mark but in reality it never quite made it beyond the background.
I've listened to the album TNT a number of times over the past few years and always thought that something was... missing. That is also the case on this album. I prefer instrumental music that is either: dramatic, ear catching, bombastic (Lift Your Skinny Fists, Earth 2, Fashion Week); or more subtle (Music for Airports, any Time Hecker or Phillip Glass). This middle of the road music (Tortoise, Explosions in the Sky) always feels lacking. 3/5.
Loved it. Ehterial. 3.5
Very innovative album full of surprising things! It was a lot more listenable than I had remembered of the band. Earlier things I have run into seemed kind of dinky or not serious enough. This is one of the few albums in the project that I hope to revisit in a bit. Quite fascinating.
This is decent background music while walking through the woods as I did this morning. Though I enjoyed the cricket and bird noises just as much once the album was over and I took my head phones off. I think being high would add the 1-2 stars needed to make this a regular listen.
01) Djed - 7,0 02) Glass Museum - 7,0 03) A Survey - 6,0 04) The Taut and Tame - 6,5 05) Dear Grandma and Grandpa - 5,5 06) Along the Banks of Rivers - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,50 (65/100) Current ranking: 173/222 An ambient, instrumental post rock album perfect for background music while you work. "Djed" is a 21-minute long song that practically consists of five or more experimental songs glued into one. It's not unpleasant to listen to, but the length of the song irritates me. "Glass Museum" at least has some common melody that ties these parts together as well as a more appropriate length. "A Survey" is a song where you hear bass and crickets for three minutes. "The Taut and Tame" somewhere in the middle sounds like RHCP without the vocals, but only briefly. "Dear Grandma and Grandpa" is just some weird sounds, I wouldn't even call it a song. "Along the Banks of Rivers" sounds cool, light, one of the better songs on the album.
chill vibes
Less interesting now than it was then.
What initially gave off an impression I was not digging eventually turned into a unique blend of electronic influences and post rock structure that was pretty pleasing. That said, I listened to it two days ago and couldn't hum you a single melody from it.
Hypnotic rhythms, layered instrumentation, and affecting, atmospheric ambiance make for an engaging post-rock listen whether in the background or the forefront.
Do I like 20 minute long instrumental post-rock noise? Let me answer that in the affirmative. I do. I'd listened to Tortoise for the first time a few weeks ago because they're repeatedly referenced in Stuart from Mogwai's autobiography, and while they don't carry anything like the heft of Mogwai, you can see the connection. I think they really need to find the overdrive pedal though; so mang songs are crying out for a big GNRRR to break up the Casio keyboard demos.
The first thing I ever heard from Tortoise was their later collab with Will Oldham. That was a much more interesting album but this wasn't bad at all. The opening track was a bit of meandering noise that lacked a home base and went on a bit too long. However, the second track was by far and large the star of the album. All in all, it was interesting enough to hold my attention but not something I'd probably revisit again in the future.
Ganska okej ändå. Inget jag har hört förut.
- noise music but decrescendos into jazzier chiller feel - a little too noise music-y at bits - would be overwhelming to have too loud, good for work though, art, introspection - good to have lyricless albums in my arsenal so i’m not wearing out my one playlist - 3/5 saving in library
interesting initial long song followed by regulars
Carino, la canzone da 20 minuti un po' inutile ma l'ultima molto bella
Interesting chill, and more ambient but apparently a groundbreaking "post-rock" album. Didn't love it, but didn't hate it and enjoyed it as background music.
I liked this instrumental album. Great back ground music.
Arvostan, että osataan tehdä instrumentaalilevy, joka jaksaa pitää mielenkiinnon yllä koko ajan - eikä katkea! Siis kappaleet on liitetty yhteen. Ja on sopiva pituus. Kiva äänimaailma, tuo viestinsä perille. Mutta jää tasolle ”kiva”, saatan palata vain muistuttamaan, miltä tämä ”post-rock” kuulostaa.
I think that 18 year old me would have been all over this, probably made it a pillar of my personality for a few months. Whatever has happened in the ensuing 2 decades, I’m become now just a husk who listened to it, thought it was ok and promptly moved on.
Depressing
that was interesting. Started out a little too experimental and slow for my tastes but I especially enjoyed the last track.
No one can complain about my singing…
Dope band name and dope album. Didn’t know what this was going to be but happily surprised to hear some post rock, also good choice on the variety of instruments used (3.5/5)
love the way Glass Museum starts
Very unusual rock. Enjoyed it a decent bit. I could see this one growing on me. Rating: 3.4
Actually didn’t mind this, not my first rodeo with long ambient albums. Still don’t understand how it’s made it on this list mind you. Would still rather listen to 1 hour of this than 1 second of The Lemonheads
OK post rock with lots of bleeps and bloops and electronic effects. I reckon the first track ‘Djed’ coming in at 20+ minutes actually sucks a fair bit of momentum from the rest of the record, and I’m not sure it ever really recovers.
Started off strongly but just tapered too hard. Kinda like the first time hearing a jamband turned into an album. Not exactly revolutionary but could speak deeply to a certain group or age. Unfortunately that passed thru me decades ago. Not bad but certainly not more than 3.
Expected incredibly boring post rock, but this was interesting at times.
Honestly, I don't know how to rate it. Sometimes intriguing, sometimes squawks
There are days when I really enjoy long instrumental post rock tracks. It wasn't today though. It was just okay with moments of great and moments of boring noise.
Blind album and artist. This was very interesting for an experimental ambient instrumental album... not my favorite for sure but was very unique. Odd and spooky and eerie.
Solid instrumental but i have no interest in a 20 minute instrumental
I'm liking all the Post-Rock stuff here. Some really cool songs on this album, especially in 1996.
Favourite song - Glass museum
Interesting. Not bad but I feel sleepy now.
I don't mind these kind of ambient, soft electronic albums. It's a very chill time for the most part, but it's never going to dazzle me.
Classé dans Rock ? Euh... Mais bon, sinon un peu étrange. J'aime bien car c'est instrumental, ça passe en travaillant.
Very well
Djed - 8/10 Glass Museum - 7.5/10 A Survey - 7/10 The Taut and Tame - 7/10 Dear Grandma and Grandpa - 7.5/10 Along the Banks of Rivers - 7/10 TOTAL - 45/60
This one was okay. It seems way ahead of its time to me, but I could be off with that estimation.
Jammy, slow, weird. I’m down
Eh
Good post-rock. Some of it reminds of yo la tengo slow grooves
Good post rock album, but not one that really encapsulated me. Agree should be on the list, but don’t think I’ll be coming back to this the same way I do a mogwai or sigar Rios album.
Curveball of an LP that will require a few more listens to parse out my feelings on. Overall, though, I found myself enjoying this slower, more contemplative post-punkish rock even if the LP is a slow burn at parts. The mids-heavy distortion over glassy basslines reminded me of bands like Dismemberment Plan, but stretched out and slowed down to a contemplative pace that felt like its own thing.
Didn’t hate it
Gets a 3 solely for Djed. That song was an evolution and interesting experience in post-rock. But then I need lyrics. Otherwise it's just jamming
Interesting album here that felt like a bit of a jam. Some pretty cool stuff going on in this one that could warrant a 4, but not ever really exciting enough to bring it there.
I really enjoy this kind of rock/jazz fusion "post-rock" sound. However, this isn't my favorite Tortoise material by far. Overall a worthy listen but doubtful it would be returned to. 3.5/5
Instrumental ambient album. It has to play in the background, because when you pay attention it's mildly infuriating. 2.5/5
Genre: Post-rock, Jazz fusion 1996 The most well known songs: Djed, Glass Museum (According to Ranker.com) and The Taut and the Tame was a single along with Djed. Don't know these guys or the music. Djed is a 21 minute long song. This one is a slow burn. It's not something you pick up, listen to and fall in love with immediately. I've been listening for a while now, and I'm not getting it. I can see some people getting into it after maybe a 100 listens. Who has the patients for that? I can see putting this on a playlist of songs to study to. Perfect for that. Djed just seems really long and not very interesting honestly. Glass Museum has a dreamy quality to it that makes it stand out as the 'best' on the album. A Survey has a Pink Floyd sound that never seems to take off. On a good day this is nothing more than a 3 / 5. Rating:
All instrumental, probably a little experimental at the time, decent music for doing homework.
A real bop.
21 minute opening track? Get over yourself lol
This is a weird album. First song is 20 min long. It's all instrumental, kinda new age jazz rock.
Mellow electronica, which was mostly fine. I could have done without the bit that sounded like the "CD" was skipping/breaking/malfunctioning though.
Don't listen to instrumental much but the shoegaze hit for homework 5/10
Elevated elevator music. It’s not bad for what it is, but I found myself wanting more.
background noise - 3/5 its ok
Previous Familiarity: None! I've heard of the band , but know nothing from them. Post-Rock is a tricky genre. I do not particularly seek it out, as I am never in the right mood or state of mind to find myself enjoying it. It either sits in my subconscious while my mind drifts off to inner thoughts, or I'm too engaged and critical of what is happening with each passing tape-hiss or guitar stab. There isn't structure or melody for me to enjoy. That said, the 14 minute mark of the 20 minute opener "Djed", is magical. The tone changes from rhythmic chiming of vibraphones to a cd-glich dissonance that them morphs into it's own dark atmosphere. It was jarring and beautiful, but really the only moment on the album where I was intrigued.
21 min opening track! Woah! A curious album overall and I'm left not knowing quite what to make of it.
Entspannend und mystisch. Angenehm nebenbei zu hören.
Alla förutom första låten var bra. Coolt med mycket instrumental
Nice ambient music with fun use of synthesizers I like it but I wouldn't listen to it often
It’s bad of me, I know, but I struggle with instrumental albums. That being said, this was fine and unobjectionable to my ears but I have very little ability to estimate its musical worth
2.5 stars
3/5 pleasant but lossless-like walking through an art gallery, you can appreciate but it’s never going to wow unless you’re embroiled in it.
From one experimental album to another. Millions Now Living Will Never Die is quite a bit more experimental than the last album i looked at. Especially with the first song. It took so many twists and turns that it felt like it could be split off into many different songs. I was also surprised when the audio got distorted on the first track which made me believe something was broken at first. I still found quite a bit to like about the experimentation even if some songs didn't have too much to them. I still liked this album and think it is worth a listen if this stuff interests you Best Song: Djed Worst Song: A Survey
"We have Godspeed! You Black Emperor at home" type beat
3 1/2 stars !! good, interesting instrumental prog-rock album, like slint, explosions in the sky, duster more but it's solid!
V pohode to bolo
Instrumental jams
Not bad at all
They have a distinctive sound, that comes off fairly warm and inoffensive for how experimental they're being. I am not immediately hooked but I could see it growing on me. Kudos to them for helping forge a new direction in "post-rock."
like four kids in a big coat
tortoise's millions now living will never die is rather a unique instrumental album and listening to it was an interesting journey. each song is distinct and it's easy to differentiate between them. at times, it had a whimsical vibe, other times it was futuristic sounding, and it could get distorted, too. i felt like i was melting into the album at times.
The first track is 20 minutes long.
Atmospheric post-rock that's good for moody background music. I enjoyed listening to it while I was working, no vocals to distract. I also like the title, apparently it's a reference to a Jehovah's Witness slogan from the 1920s. Fine for background music, not really my genre. 3.25/5
Not bad, not great.
Not something i would play usually but this was a solid album. Standout song for me was Along The Banks of Rivers Just a nice working vibe album.
This is an interesting album, and I’m intrigued by it. I don’t know why the first song DJed is one long track instead of broken up in other songs (which would be much better IMO). The rest of the album has that post-rock cool bass lines and funky drums other sounds. All in all, may listen to this again. Will check out there other stuff.
Atmospheric, kinda spooky. Instrumental guitar, some stuff that feels like it would fit right into a movie
Interesting little instrumental number
This is pretty nice. Reminds me strongly of Do Make Say Think with a pinch of American Football. No particular tracks stand out; it all just feels like a cohesive piece of work.
As someone born in the last decade of the 20th century, I don't really know a life without this kind of minimalistic math rock-y sound. And it also sounds like its time to me (90s -- it must have been so weird to go to college in the last years of life before everyone was Online....) Its easy to listen to and easy to imagine it playing at a climbing gym or in a yoga class led by a Gen Xer. Pleasant enough music for the background, but not novel or particularly interesting- sounding to me.
Weird, slightly unnerving. Biggest draw was that one of their songs has been used as a segue between stories on NPR.
I was never expecting to like this album, but it's actually kinda cool sounding. Sometimes it was boring, but I found myself enjoying it a decent amount of the time. I think my favourite song was Glass Museum.
Strange: just felt like the demo button on majority of pianos but at the same time it felt so well crafted with it flowing seamlessly at points. I feel rather conflicted when it comes to rating it then bc it is neither bad nor any absolutely extortionary. Just a very average instrumental album for majority of it.
Cool title. If I never died, wouldn't that mean I'd have forever to listen to the 1,001 albums? Unfortunately, I struggle to pay attention to most instrumental music. It was technically good, I guess, but just background music for me.
A track like “Djed” is interesting to me because it reminds me of jazz in the way it riffs on a melody and the way the music transforms and shape-shifts. But it does so methodically. There’s a calculated feeling here that I associate with electronica or prog-rock. The music straddles the line between organic and mechanical. The album becomes much more organic on the following tracks. "Glass Museum" is gorgeous and sounds more like the product of a full band. And "A Survey" is really cool. It's driven by that ominous, creeping bass line. Cool that one band can go from spacious and laidback on one song to high-strung and tense on the next. Really strong experimental album!
Cool post-rock with interesting moments of experimental noises and SFX. I liked it but felt like I wanted more. I listened to a lot of this while I was at the gym so maybe I wasn't in the perfect headspace for it (this generally doesn't have an affect on me). Also, post-rock is one of my favorite genres and maybe I think this is "pretty good but not great" because I've been listening to this genre for a long time. It's not a bad record though! For this list it's a 3/5 for me which IMO is actually pretty strong. There's other post-rock albums that I am familiar with that I wouldn't even have on this list.
It isn't bad, it just isn't good enough to captivate for the entirety of the album. Some of the musical sections are pretty good, just not enough. 3/5 Would listen to as background music
3.5/5
Interesting and different album
Bom.
Groovy, ambient almost lo-fi hip-hop before that was a thing.
Also background music that I quite enjoyed but not a huge amount.
Try as they might, they couldn't achieve the same sentiment in a 19 minute song, it had to be 20 minutes and 57 seconds. This is just angsty spa music.
Cool as hell. "Djed" is the standout. 7/10
I’m not one to really listen to instrumentals but the album itself isn’t that bad. I’ve never seen a song that’s twenty minutes long and I really lost interest after the first three but if you want chill background music, this is it.
Dig the vibe, but I would never just put this on to listen to
Meio paradao mas ok
You know what you're getting when anything is "post-"*insert name of genre here. As expected, technically very accomplished without ever really getting the emotions pumping.
What is "postrock"? I don't understand all these meaningless genre names. This sounds like progressive/new age to me. It's not bad, mildly interesting, maybe a bit boring at times. 3 stars.
Got some Civ 3 vibes every now and then.
Boa para trabalhar
While obviously influential as heck, I feel that a lot of the ideas Tortoise present on their second record are somewhat underdeveloped. Especially 'Djed' feels more like a collage of sound ideas than a coherent composition, and although this is less of an issue on side 2, I am never quite moved in the same way as when listening to other post-rock bands like Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
It was pretty okay
Will be surprised if I ever go looking for it again, but passed time and didn't dislike it at all
This is an intriguing album. It's not something to actively listen to, more something to have on in the background as you're doing other things. It's by no means bad, but does have some interesting, if not outright questionable production choices. I'd personally not have gone for quite so much "wibble", but hey, it's not my album.
I typically like my post-rock to have a bit more edge to it, but this is nice. Relaxing. Very Kraftwerk. Bold choice to have the record open with a twenty-minute opus, bolder choice to have it find a groove then cut it off. Would've probably made Andy Kaufman proud. Favorite tracks: "Glass Museum", "A Survey"
Strange. But still passive enough for the background. Stays a 3.
weird. 3 stars.
Sadly a pretty mediocre album. I was hoping for better but you can't win em all. The 2nd and last song were pretty good though. Awesome album and band name as well. Score: 50 Art: 50
Album van de post-rock band Tortoise. De muziek is vooral instrumentaal en experimenteel. Niet onaardig om aan te hebben staan, maar ook niet heel bijzonder verder. leukste nummer: Along the Banks of Rivers De album titel is een religieuze slogan dat o.a. bij de Jehovah's wordt gebruikt.
Interesting and I could see it growing on me, if I gave it a chance. It didn’t thrill me though. After what seemed about an album’s worth I was getting kind of bored and looked to see how much was left…oh, we’re still in the first track… I might give it a second listen sometime for background music while working.
Vraiment Weird ! C'est pas mauvais et ca met dans l'ambiance. Probablement que je ne me souviendrai plus du tout de cet album dans quelque jours. Donc ca ne m'a pas marqué beaucoup. Note de passage
My mate loved Tortoise and I remember dipping in and out of them before but not a proper listen. However I’m sure they had a bit more about them than this. It is good, some decent prts to it (the second track was my favourite), but I’m certain they have better records. I do quite like that jazzy / mathy / post-rocky sound, but parts of this did drift by. Still decent, would return and will revisit their other stuff.
Some of the transitions within songs are quite jarring. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, cannot out my finger on why. I think the variety helps. It doesn't really sound like a jam session either, more like the band are showing each other their skills. Odd samples. I don't know what to think.
Enjoyable instrumentals
Does "post rock" mean kind of bland Electronica? Because that's how this struck me... though I was in the midst of an unpleasant driving experience while listening to it so I may not have given it proper attention. I didn't hate it or anything.
Boring
Just a grungeband jamming session, instrumental. They got groove but nothing special.
Primitive post rock that makes pretty good use of looping and layering. It's best as an album to play in the background of whatever you're doing.
it's minimalist post-rock. no more, no less. this album walked so godspeed you black emperor could run
I liked this actually - though I'd never heard of it before. The 'instrumental' and 'progressive' nature kind of reminded me of Godspeed You Black Emperor but it was definitely more bite-sized haha The album seems to have been built around the big opener Djed but Taught and Tame was a good one also.
Not too bad. I can’t imagine some dudes getting together to make this - long and kinda weird songs, not a single lyric.
Alright ok
weird album. I didn't care for the huge first track, but the other songs were decent, and even good in places. Gonna average this out to a 3/5, I think
Idk it was pretty good, at first the transitions really irritated me and literally almost made me throw up. But once it moves over it’s pretty dang good. I don’t think I appreciated it as much as I should because it was morning and I needed words not insutrmentals but I liked it
minimalista ambient
Not the worst album on the list but it made me think of headphones on while trying to sleep on a 6 hour red-eye flight music. By the time you land, you know it was there for you the whole time but you're still dead tired and you can't remember any of it.
chill vibe
I got excited when I realized it was going to be all instrumental, but it never really rose above passing the time alright
A band called tortoise!? An edgy title!? I think I might like this... Bruh did I get baited into listening to an album's worth of elevator music what the hell is this 20 minute bs. Ok so the rest of the album is great, i like it a lot, but goddamn, 20 of 43 mins being a mid (to be kind) song is heinous, 3.5 bc I'm feeling generous, but it rounds down to a 3... I did really like the rest of the songs tho
Now that was a bit out there
A spooky and atmospheric listen. Perfect for a slow afternoon, though the opening track could have used some editing.
Enjoyed,decent but not something I'd listen to repeatedly
Nice, serene, atmospheric.
Pretty chill instrumental-type album. I saved Glass Museum. Definitely a few sections of Djed that caught my ear too, but 20 mins is too long of a song for me to add and not absolutely love. Cool discovery, never heard of this band before but can see how they would be unique for the 90s.
Prefer their later albums that have a bit more oomph. Not a bad listen though.
Interesting………
So it's got a similar ambient vibe as the Aphex Twin album the list just gave me, but the songs are distinctive and not simply a collection a bleeps and bloops with a couple of samples thrown in. This is an album that you can actively listen to and have a satisfying experience, and not just have on in the background and kind of ignore while you're doing something else. You absolutely could have this on in the background, but it's not the only state it functions well in (which was the issue with that Aphex Twin album). I'd equate listening to this with listening to a jazz album instead of using the post-rock label - you can let wash over you, but there's also a lot of interesting musical interplay if you're listening closely. The opener, Djed, has that in spades. A Suvery is built around an ominous bass riff, Glass Museum and The Taut and the Tame have some great chiming keyboards or vibraphone playing off of some heavier guitar. Along the Banks of Rivers has some cool spaghetti western guitar running through it. The drums sound a bit thin throughout the album, which makes things sound a bit more tame, but that's my big quibble with this record.
listened to again good rainy road trip music if you want to zone out for a bit
"Post-rock" holy shit fuck me up fam. Update: This was awesome, loved it! Need to check out more from this band.
Easy listening
Good, offbeat, original, electronic.
Interesting enough
It matched the start to my work day. A bit dull and I was glad when it was over. But nah, seriously, it’s just not my kind of music, but I appreciate the effort.
This is a pretty good instrumental album with some interesting sounds and soundscapes. I'm not a fan of all tracks and this album took me a few listens to get in the groove with it Djed at 21 mins has near on half the runtime of the album. It has some fantastic sections but also has some god awful ones that ruin the listening experience. Sadly this one track is a bit of a downer for the experience. 3/5
Interesante
Pretty boring so mayyyybe good cleaning music or something like that
Hey there Debbie, how's your old man doing? Does he still have to think about me just to get an erection? I feel sorry for the bloke. Poor sod has to sling his limp meat up your festering shit hole too.
Tortoise innit 🐢
Þokkalegt áhlustunar. Einhvers konar undanfari Explosions in the sky.
not bad, if you like this kind of music
Enjoyed this one. Definitely worth another listen
Cool little album. A few of the songs are very ambient to the point where there’s not much going on, but the other few kind of just flow and have some nice moments. 6/10
Very chill but not quite interesting enough
I was very excited when I started listening to this album. I thought it would be another wild electronic-filled album, but as it went on I realized that it was atmospheric guitar music. Decent album, but nothing I would listen to on my own. Best Songs: Glass Museum, Along the Banks of Rivers Worst Songs: NA
Barely a three. I've always found Tortoise to be the most boring of the first wave post-rock bands. I much prefer Slint or Talk Talk.
C'est pas mauvais, mais je pense que j'indie en général je suis juste moins fan. Je comprends l'engouement par contre, l'aspect atmosphérique est très nice.
Pulling from the likes of Neu!, Tortoise is content with having a strong rhythmic foundation to build upon. This makes for some nice exploration of sound, as different instruments and melodies drop in and out of the space. Then, before you know it, there's a switch. Going from acoustic instrumentation to almost glitchy electronic beats. It feels almost unsettling, moving from one phase to another, existing within stark contrast of each other. All of this is contained within Djeb, the behemoth first track on the album. Then the rest of the album plays out. It's very similar to Djeb but not as long. A lot of it does tend to come across as aimless jams, but the instrumentation choices make up for this I think. To me, Tortoise are like underwater explorers, swimming along different currents and getting acquainted with different wildlife. This is the music they make, and it's worth checking out.
Interesting sound. Never heard of it before... Good music to get something done. Was not expecting so much bass from everything on this album. Only observation would be they it feels like an edging exercise...massive culmination for an unexisting climax. 3*
A bit too conceptual for me. Why is the first track on a 45min album over 20mins long?!
J'ai attendu la durée d'un album que Tortoz pose sa voix sur l'instrumentale. Ce moment n'arriva pas.
Post rock at its finest. Long drawn out sections blast into strange time signatures and then quiet again. A classic of the genre. Best Tracks: Djed; Glass Museum; Taut and Tame;
2 minutes?
Jazz rock or post rock? Important question, because then one can determine whether to compare this to - say - Electric Miles and Mahivishnu Orchestra, or to Mogwai and Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Why does this matter? The album is improvison weak, but sonically adventurous. I’m going with Post Rock.
Interesting and enjoyable to listen to. I think I knew of Tortoise back in the 90's (friends may have mentioned them) but never listened to any of their stuff. Feels like easy background listening. But not sure I'm going to run out and listen to more of their stuff or go discover the post rock genre. I can see how a non-rock person would find this completely boring.
A 24 min track normally disqualifies me from liking an album. Overall I grew to like it with every listen - musicianship is great, the production sublime - but in essence it only serves as pleasant background music in my opinion - it doesn’t grab you and demand you give it attention - and maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing - but when The Taut and Tame kicks in with a beat resembling The Clash’s ‘I Fought the Law’ my heart pumps every time with expectation and gets dismayed that it’s back to post rock. There is one standout track - the Morricone influenced ‘Along the Banks of Rivers’ to me - the rest is just ok.
Ok-ish background music
Not sure what to do with that title. I think I heard this record in late '90s but it didn't stick. Glad to hear again, though probably unlikely to stick, which means I can’t pack it as a desert-island disc.
A very good instrumental if your into soundscapes
It would be so easy to say "post rock's not my genre", give it a 1 and move on but I sense that if I listened to this more I might find something pretty cool going on here. On the other hand, I might find that it's a complete snoozefest. I'll listen to this again sometime and, who knows, I might even end up forming a point of view. Until then, 3 --
I did something different with this one – I read the review before listening, which wasn’t a good idea, because I became annoyed that someone came up with a genre name as uninspiring as “post-rock”. At least “post-punk” replaced a far worse name, ‘New Wave”, and punk, for the most part, had actually ended, with the exception of those highly irritating American hardcore bands. Anyway, the first listen was drowned out by my sneering, but I became more interested the second time around. I liked the textures and their courage in making a 100% instrumental LP. I didn’t turn off Spotify when it offered up more Tortoise tracks. My co-judge says it’s nice background music.
This was very chill vibes and fantastic as background music at work which was what I was using it for.
Un dels milestones de l'anomenat postrock, per una de les bandes clau del génere. Hauria de donar origen en els anys posteriors a tot un grapat de propostes semblants, encapçalades comercialment per Mogwai. Un disc interessant i intel.ligent
It reminded me of elevator music with a little extra flair added in. It was good background music but not something that needed active listening.
Good background music
"Thank you for calling, please wait while we connect your call" [this album starts playing] It's fine, chill, kind of boring at times. I don't have a problem with long songs, but Djed doesn't need to be 21 minutes long when all the cool things happen in the last 8 or so minutes (I really liked that glitchy part). "Dear Grandma and Grandpa" was my favorite song on the album because it reminds me of some ambiance you would hear in an indie horror game - really cool with the weird German(?) voices in the background (obscure reference, but it reminds me of the song "Numbers" from the OMORI soundtrack, which also contains ominous German voices).
Though all parts of it were interesting a 21 minute fully instrumental intro track that had at least 5 different mood swings is not the right way to start an album. After that I was expecting lyrics, but then I read about the genre of Post-Rock. I am usually against instrumental albums because they lack that extra flavor that lyrics add. That being said I do quite enjoy the album because past the lack of vocals I enjoy the musical style. "Glass Museum" and "A Survey" were the top tracks for me. And if "Djed" had been split up into multiple songs a few of them would have fit on there too.
I love post-rock. This was a lovely listen.
Strange, unusual and occasionally unsettling.
63. Tíunda tugar Indiejazzrokk. Fyrsta lagið er skemmtilegt og rosalega langt. Hin eru ágæt. Fínt, en ekkert brjálæðislega eftirminnilegt.
Not bad but my taste
I played it while I was working yesterday. It was part of the background… background music (?) I am sure I am doing this wrong
Sadly rather dull, pleasant enough background sounds but never really excited
It's like these guys have studied how to be the most background of bands.
I'd heard of Tortoise before, but hadn't listened to their albums. I had this one on in the background, and didn't pay much attention to it. Good interesting sounds, nothing that niggled me. Pleasant enough, but no idea when one track ended and the next started.
Ingredients: A bit of this.. Hmm. A bit of that too! 3/5.
Eccentric and unusual... thought it never veers too far into unconventional to be too challenging to appreciate. An interesting listen.
Nice and mellow and I generally like instrumental music. This skates dangerously close to elevator music territory and quickly fades into the background.
Very similar to Can's Future Days. This is something to leave on in the background, nothing more.
Rating: 5/10
very experimental electronic and some instrumentals, interesting
Pink Floyd, The Glow Pt. 2, Joy Division; incredible for what it is (instrumental post-rock) but not my favorite genre
6/10
12/14/21 - Wonderful, slinky, highly unobtrusive
not terrible - very different
Interesting 90s soundtrack-for-no-movie merging EDM with psych and chillout lounge.
Post rock? Is that what this is? It's got some interesting music on it. Some of which grabs my attention, some of which keeps me un interested but none of it offends me. I actually like listening to this album especially late at night. 3.5 stars
Plenty of variation, solid chill tunes.
I liked some of the build and crescendos in this. Some really nice movie score-like portions of the album. I heard Godspeed You, Tool, Portishead, Yo La Tango. Interesting that they threaded in vibraphone. Do I need lyrics for a 4, maybe.
4.5
okay?
An ok listen while working/studying. It has a couple of interesting moments and the music is nice enough.
Very clever. Interesting mix of sounds and genres. Fave songs: Glass Museum, Dear Grandma and Grandpa, Along the Banks of Rivers
This was fine, it suffers ,like some classical music, in that even if I wanted to listen to djed again, it's too long and too much of a commitment to put it on a playlist or something. As background music it's generally alright though
I liked it. It's good background music for when I am working. Funny that the first track is 20mins and the rest somewhat normal length.
Some nice post rock, wasn't really in the mood for it at the time but will maybe give another go. Probably very influential etc etc
Maybe this was ground breaking at the time, but now it sounds like every "Alpha Wave Music to Relax and Study" video on youtube. Would put it on in the background and forget about it but there's nothing special about it. Giving it an extra star for any historical relevance it might have.
I'd give it a 3, I like post rock but this had very little emotion. GYBE, Boards of Canada and especially Explosions in the Sky have all done this project to better effect. The 20 minute suite first song is good and the last song was pretty good with the western influence but generally it fell flat. I would listen to it again at night on headphones to see if I maybe was just in.the wrong headspace.
Sounded decent, but i barely even noticed when it finished.
Lot's of really cool noises and ambient soundscapes, as well as satisfying glitchy drums - for me, there's a couple too many recycled ideas and lulls in interest to be a great post-rock album, something that would stand toe-to-toe with the likes of GY!BE. I'd give it 3.5 if I could
Instrumental. A veces guay, a veces parece que se ha roto el CD.
Cool ambient, somewhat weird
Ambient background music, not my cup of tea
experimenteller indie
alright
Enjoyed but won't seek it out. I'll probably forget about it.
Instrumental, good background music. Can't say that I would ever just listen to it without being background music.
Instrumental music that seems like it'd be nothing more than background music. I can't imagine sitting and listening to it intently.