Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 21:03:27 +0200 From: "[mr.]Valeri Jakushev" Subject: Tortoise TNT got the new Tortoise in my mail box the day before yesterday. have no time to listen to it in full comfort, but i gave to it two sessions, before sleeping and in the morning while drinking tea and brushing teeth. i have something to declare, though: i like it! after not-so-nice reviews around i expected something sad, but it was fun! there're only a couple of tracks from 12 (64 minutes) that i don't like, but maybe it will grow on me later on. some of the tracks remind me Aerial M with backing percussions and electronics, tracks 3 and 8 remind me Steve Reich marimbas tunes, violins are also cool! no traces of J-M Jarre or Pat Metheny noticed, sorry, maybe i'm Jarre-Metheny illiterate, thax God ;-) i was even thinking new Tortoise is more avant-garde, but it's rather poppish, maybe i need to pick up this Isotope 217 for radical brainwashing. i even think that i like TNT (after two listening) better that Millions... except of course wonderful Grandma & Grandpa Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 10:23:19 -0700 From: Bill Cole Subject: TNT Someone sent the spark a-flyin'... I think TNT suffers most from being "spotty". There are some bad spots, particularly the two tracks that are mostly metronomic xylophones (or whatever), but there are a few tracks that rank among my favorite Tortoise songs. I love the Morricone-esque fourth track (sorry, I don't know any of the titles). Perhaps if I were more familiar with Morricone's work, I would say that it is a dead ripoff of something specific, but for now, I'm happy in my ignorance. I like pretty much all of the other tracks too, but the frenetic drum-n-bass song third from the last seems a bit out of place. It just sort of hikes up the intensity level of the record all of a sudden. Overall, I think this record finds the rock-level quotient much lower than the other two albums, but I have a hard time saying that it's the worst of the three. "Djed" itself dips to similar lows at times, so I think it might average out. Or perhaps this is the worst album from the standpoint that albums should work as an entity, with a flow and or progression. The "flow" is definitely disjointed with TNT. Regardless, it's been in frequent rotation on my turntable lately! counterpoint? bill Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 09:51:10 +0200 From: Irene McC Subject: TNT doesn't explode On 31 May 98, Andrew Norman wrote re: Re: Spacemen 3 tribute: > Picked up the new Tortoise album (half-price promo copy) and > I'm afraid I think it's very dull, like the first one. Millions... had > its moments but the new one sounds like incidental music to me. Well said. I'm afraid it's a case of the emperor's new clothes, since most people/reviews seem to fawn on and on about TNT, but I had much the same reaction as you (with the exception of track 4, whatever that may be... seeing the t/listing is so stupidly written). In fact, I was just listening to Millions Now Living this morning and it still doesn't turn me on - didn't then, doesn't now. Sad bit is that mine was a full-price import copy :-) Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 09:46:01 PDT From: "Pearson R. Coefficient Greer" Subject: Tortoise personally i like TNT, the remixes, Millions.., AND the s/t. i haven't got the rest of their catalog, but i feel reasonably objective commenting on it , because i do own some Tortoise im not all that blown away by, such as their Lonesome Sound/Reservoir single or the new Madison Area/Avenue single. i find the great thing about Tortoise is context, as a lot of the sounds wouldn't 'work' for me in a lot of other senses. i mean, the last time i was hearing some of those tres' 60's or 70's synth sounds or horn arrangements was while watching reruns of the Bob Newhart show when i lived on a air force base- and to think that you could take such sounds ,which on their own would have little effect or interest for me, and then find a way to make them relevant for now...i dunno, it works for me and i like it. so they borrow from a lot of sources, and everyone's calling it unoriginal. who hasnt? at least theyre borrowing from some greats, like Philip Glass, Lee Perry, Ennio Morricone, Jobim- and they're combining these all sometimes in just ONE song, and it sounds coherent- not some cartoony mix and match pastiche'. on top of that, a lot of indie people are getting hipped to a lot of good music because of tortoise. they're out there, like it or not, and in a indie record store, theyre getting hard to ignore. some kid decides to put off buying the new Shellac or Modest Mouse to try TNT...isnt this a good thing? selfish and insular snobs be damned. i'm GLAD my little sister likes Tortoise instead of something like Hanson. it just seems to me that not only is Tortoise a great band to like for themselves, but such music opens the doors to a lot of other rewarding music and art. also, the scene is a lot better for instrumental music now because of bands like them, Labradford, etc. a lot of places hardly bat a eye now when you tell them you don't have a vocalist. not so a scant couple years ago. and finally...to whoever had the disparaging comments about Jeff Parker's musicianship...i must beg to differ. Tortoise was such a full sounding band before him, and their sound was very much about not using guitar in the traditional sense. to come in and not only fit in, but sound like you've been there forever (in a good way), is quite a accomplishment. in every review, and in almost every conversation ive had with people who like Tortoise, no one has a bad thing to say about Parker. the man's got style and a voice. who knows tho, maybe having to ride around with a friend whose cd player was busted , and being stuck with nothing but a radio that seems to play only the song "sex and candy" has made me a bit overreactive. :-) -p