Reviews (page 5 of 8)
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.
I was a bit dismayed to see a 20 minute track, but this ended up being a quite pleasant sonicscape of noise.
would use for like background music in yt videos.
Nice chill vibe. Very atmospheric, good for work.
I listened to this one without doing anything else and I really felt my emotions like rise and fall and change with the music, it was nice. The album was really varied and interesting I thought.
Listened to this a few times ages ago but I could only remember the first track. It's sort of post rock but often too jazzy for me
Tranquilo, relajado, no aporta nada especialmente
Rock instrumental. Un poco psicodélico. Interesante.
an interesting, melodic, instrumental group. very progressive style of rock i think. long drawn out songs with ebbs and flows of feeling. probably a 3.4/3.5 for me
No lo termine pero iba bien
I didn't love the album, but I didn't hate it. The last song, "Along the Banks of Rivers," caught my attention the most.
Meh
enjoyed that, not all good but the good bits were good
Liked it a lot. Very different. Nice and chilled
Very cool!
I found this album to be a really fascinating listen. I'd never heard of Tortoise so didn't know what to expect, but the album was completely different to my prior expectations. The completely instrumental album was really captivating to listen to, particularly the opening track - 20 minutes long, which explored so many unique sounds. A really fascinating listen.
Opening track is a masterpiece! 3.5/5
Found my new study music
Long track. Gave me a sense of anxiety. Was merely OK because of this.
Tycker aldrig den här typen av instrumental post-rock lyfter riktigt.
Achei fraco. O som não é ruim, mas não foi tão divertido ou marcante para estar nessa lista. Com certeza outros álbuns poderiam estar aqui.
Just a load of uninteresting noise in the studio. Not for me.
Cómo vas a tener un tema de 20 minutos como primer tema del disco
If this was a film score I'd probably dig it more but as an album it has its moments but nothing that hooked me to come back for more
First track is really long and boring, so I didn't have high hopes - one track later on that I *quite* enjoyed, but on the whole just far too chilled out for me.
I’m really struggling to come up with 100 words for this one, it made so little impression on me, but I’ll give it a go. I’m reserving 1-star ratings on this website for albums that I actively dislike and find a chore to get through, rather than those (like this) that are merely underwhelming, boring, etc., hence the 2-star rating. But make no mistake, I was not a fan of this album. It just felt utterly vapid, lifeless and empty, occasionally annoying and even more rarely vaguely enjoyable. Overall, I suppose it’s serviceable as background music, but that’s about all.
2 - not for me
lot of ambience and tinnitus sounds, low amount of actual vocals
Maso
I have a lot of respect for instrumental albums and long songs. This, however, was rather boring. Not bad, just boring. 2/5.
Completely forgettable, but pleasant background noise occasionally punctuated with strange sound effects
Maybe it’s the fact that I have an attention span of a gold fish but god damn this first song kept me like a prisoner. I‘m not saying that I don’t like the sound but then again I just kept wanting to stop and move on. The moments of excitement did not carry me through sadly. Maybe I’m just not a music expert but then again that does not matter at all because I just don’t like it that much
Rate: 5/10.
Sims 2 building music. Pitää kuunnella kokonaisena albumina.
Ok but pretentious
Fue interesante hipnótico, muy enigmático y entretenido. Creo que es algo que escucharía como fondo o para leer algún libro bastante entretenido.
I do appreciate the experimentation and the way the mix of sounds are built and structured, but I don’t see myself listening to this again.
This is probably good background music but unfortunately it's vocal-less and therefore not the vibe.
Good background noise but other than that I did not like it.
Inoffensive, dull, pedestrian, uneventful and uninspiring. Two stars. 1 "Djed" (2/5) 2 "Glass Museum" (2/5) 3 "A Survey" (2/5) 4 "The Taut and Tame" (2/5) 5 "Dear Grandma and Grandpa" (2/5) 6 "Along the Banks of Rivers" (2/5) Total - 12 Average - 2 313/1001 170/313 albums reviewed were new to me.
Die US-amerikanische Chicagoer Instrumentalband Tortoise nahm ihr zweites Album zwischen Juni und September 1995 in zwei Chicagoer Studios auf: im Idful Music Corporation und im neu eröffneten Soma Electronic Music Studios – beide Male am Mischpult: John McEntire, zugleich Mitglied der Band. Erschienen im Januar 1996 auf Thrill Jockey, markiert das Album einen Wendepunkt, an dem Post-Rock, Krautrock, Dub und Elektronik nicht mehr als Einflüsse nebeneinanderstehen, sondern zu einem kohärenten Klangraum verschmelzen. Der Vorgänger hatte den Rahmen abgesteckt; dieses Album füllt ihn aus. Das Herzstück ist „Djed", eine 21-minütige Komposition, die durch rund 15 Mixstufen ging und am Ende klingt, als hätte sie diese Arbeit nie gekannt – ruhig, zwingend, unaufhörlich. Marimba, Vibraphon, Bass und Elektronik schichten sich übereinander, ohne je zu drängen. Die kürzeren Stücke – „Glass Museum", „A Survey", das eindringliche „Dear Grandma and Grandpa" – funktionieren als Ruhepunkte und Kontrapunkte zugleich und geben dem Album eine Dramaturgie, die über reine Atmosphäre hinausgeht. Dave Pajo, der hier erstmals als Bandmitglied zu hören ist, verleiht dem Ganzen eine dezente gitarristische Textur, die nie vordergründig wird. Millions Now Living Will Never Die ist kein Album, das erklärt, was es tut. Es tut es einfach – und das mit einer Selbstverständlichkeit, die auch nach fast drei Jahrzehnten nicht verblasst ist. Der Maßstab, an dem sich Tortoise bis heute messen lassen muss.
OK.
Way more marimba than you think
definition of background music. Could be good situationally but I like to hear some more things going on
seems like a drone album
Post rock then. OK. From the write ups it seemed interesting, but in reality? Seems like simpler ambient soundscape created by quite a bit of repetition? Don’t know why but expected more in the experimental avant-garde sound collage vibe, but it’s more prog-rock. Making it an easier listen but well. Opening track 20 minutes, did nothing, went no where, guessing that was the point, and the Casio comment is on point. Next track ultra light jazz motif, another 6 minutes- listen to Guaraldi to see how that one should be done. Then later there’s the rock track, standard prog fair. Then the spy movie soundtrack retrospective scene. Look if this is your thing good for you. So it's supposed atmospheric music made with rock instruments. OK, fine, maybe if it had just been on it would have been fine, but directly listening found it a complete yawn, bored the life out of me. Easy listening, but not in anything like a good way. Wasn’t terrible, background, but what was the point. 2 Star.
Just kind of boring background sounds
1,7/5
Ei lähtenyt. Samaa kappaletta koko levy. ⭐️⭐️
Not my piece of cake.
Elevator music. Not too bad as background, but not really much body to concentrate on. Maybe it's called 'post rock' because it's like rock music produced by someone deaf as a post? The best I can say is.. it was there. Anyone who deliberately adds technical glitches to a track to make me think my audio equipment is broken deserves to be slapped around the legs. -1 star. "I must put some Tortoise on", said no-one ever.
Djed - “What if Pink Floyd was less stimulating and had, like, xylophones and stuff?” That glitch-out at the 14-minute mark got me. 6.5/10 Glass Museum - Could feasibly be played by a band. Has the potential to be a headbanger, but some weird time stuff prevents it from being so. 7/10 A Survey - A couple of electric guitar people play electric guitar outside in a forest somewhere. 5.5/10 The Taut and Tame - This does, indeed, feel rather taut. Gets somewhat tamer as it goes on. Best drum stuff so far. 7.5/10 Dear Grandma and Grandpa - Old ambient technology sounds. Don’t really think I’d call this music; it’s more of an interesting collection of sounds. 3/10 Along the Banks of Rivers - Almost sounds like background music to a 1940s spy movie when the main character is in a bar talking to his partner about a case he just got. Almost. 6/10 Overall, 5/10. This kind of thing isn’t really my speed. It’s basically Pink Floyd but less stimulating and more vibey(apart from Taut and Tame). It’s good for what it is, but I don’t think I’ll ever find myself listening to this again, besides maybe Taut and Tame.
Sadly forgettable, but inoffensive. Nice to see more ambient work on this list.
2.5 Really frustrating in that everytime it seemed to be building to something good it just faded out instead. At certain points there also seemed to be one annoying instrument/sound ruining otherwise pleasant music
"Yo La Tengo"-esque I don't have enough patience for this sort of thing
My husband: 'there's better post rock...'
Pierwsza piosenka to 20 minut totalnego chaosu, nic do siebie nie pasuje, chaos zmienia się w hałas a ten w normalną muzykę. Potem jest już nieco lepiej, ale nadal nie na tyle, abym nazwała odsłuchiwanie tej płyty przyjemnym przeżyciem. Kto czegoś takiego słucha z własnej woli? 4/10.
Meh, background music again. And please, no 20 minute songs ever
I know I probably just don’t get it but I really don’t. It’s not bad, musically, just boring.
I mean, its interesting and it is definitely different than anything being put out commercially at the time. I appreciate the odd time signatures and changes. No one needs to hear this before they die.
A bit of a nightmare to rate. Honestly, it was just kind of there. I trust that this was important, but it's not doing a great deal for me.
I know this list is meant to expand horizons, but I just am not a 20 minute song type of girlypop. sorry. Is what they do with those 20 minutes, and however many minutes the other songs were, interesting? yes. Will I ever think "hey, i wanna sit down and listen to this album" again? no I was gonna put this as a 3, cause honestly it's fine, but like there more it went on the more my soul died, so 2
Tough music for a treadmill. A strange addition to the list.
Es wabert so vor sich hin. Nicht unangnehm. Fans finden bestimmt auch etwas, dass sie begeistert. Ich bin kein Fan, für mich wurde es mit der Zeit langweilig. 2/5
A nice listen while working, wouldn't just listen to it though
its nice ambience i guess but i would never willfully listen again fav song: Along the Banks of Rivers
Very boring but not annoying, other than the first track being 20 minutes long.
Haven't heard of them. I have a headache today, not a good time to listen to it. But I think even without one I still wouldn't like it, it's just random sounds 2/5
dull
Little disappointed. I thought I’d love this, but I kept waiting for something to happen, then it ended.
Didn't hate it, but would never put this on
Ambient oddness. Not very compelling.
Man, that was a hard listen
oh, well. the tracks lead nowhere.
Не моё. Что слушал - что не слушал.
Terrible
Pass
To be honest, this album has been really boring and feels likr it drags on for centuries. Who thought a 20 minute song was a good idea? If I heard this in an elevator, it would take me a solid 5 minutes to notice it wasn't elevator music
I'm not really sure what to say except it was weird...
Instrumental. Just not my kind of instrumental. 2/5.
Bakgrundsmusik