TNT

Tortoise | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 10, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thrill Jockey
• ASIN: B0002CWXPG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,926 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite four-and-half star Ambience, February 20, 2005

By 

Kim Porter "Forté Magazine" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TNT (Audio CD)

Where their debut had been a mixed and largely unstructured collection of leftfield soundscapes, followed by Millions Now Living's surprising love-letter to Krautrock, the third Tortoise release, the all instrumental TNT, was almost a lounge album - but lounge for thinkers. You certainly couldn't call this a rock album, any more than you could call it techno, acoustic, ambient or jazz, but Tortoise take all of those styles and more, building fabulously fat beds of bottom end, overlaid with gorgeous multi-layered guitars, vibes and sampled found sounds, and emerge with one of the last decade's most endlessly satisfying releases.

With it's frantic, sampled drum pattern, `Jetty' could almost be trip-hop, (in fact trip-hop is the lasting after-image of the album), `Swung From The Gutters' has a vague jazz structure to it, at the same time throwing in backward tape effects, `I Set My Face To The Hillside' combines - almost unbelievably - both Spaghetti Western and oriental themes¼ and so it goes, constantly bewildering, constantly enchanting. And then there's the divine beauty of the title track... (sigh)

And it gets better with every listen.

Kim Porter
Forté Magazine, Australia

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tortoise reaches a new plateau, March 18, 2003

By 

Langdon Alger (West Alexander, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: TNT (Audio CD)

The members of Tortoise spent longer composing this album than they had for the previous two and it seems to have paid off. Earlier albums work very well as sonic experimentation, but the songs sometimes drifted into the realm of the monotonous. On this album, the songwriting has gotten tighter, the electronics integrate better, the jazz aspect has become more apparent. This really seems to have become a realization of the promise of the earlier albums.

There exists a real appreciation for musical ideas that isn't found on most other "rock" albums, and this album rocks a lot more than most "jazz" albums. Tortoise draws from many rather obscure musical traditions, but they don't just borrow their sound from their predecessors, they make the sound their own; this isn't borrowing, it's grand theft.

Actually, I'd give this album 4 1/2 stars, as one or two songs at the end tend to run on without justification (for me, at least). But, I'm giving it five stars 'cause this is definitely worthy of more than four.

Standout tracks: TNT, Swung From The Gutters, Equator, and Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tortoise makes a good album that has a clear effect, February 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: TNT (Audio CD)

This band is known for their 'post rock' sound which is basically a mix many different genre's in a strange pot. They are most widely loved for their electronic sound tampering workouts. On this album that element of their sound is definitely present,but what's also present is a very atmospheric use of the vibraphone and a brass band. On their first album, they had a sound that was pretty slow and rootsy and on 'Millions Now Living will never die' they still had that, but also had a stronger electronic current running through it, a DJ feel. On 'TNT' there are some tracks that don't even feel electric, some that feel totally electric and some that are an interesting combination of both. What's interesting is the clear electic intent of the band. If you start on track three, you'll hear an atmospheric vibraphone track and on the very next song you'll hear a song that wouldn't seem out of place in a spaghetti western movie and then if you listen to the next song it songs like a futuristic electronic tune. To me Tortoise's music has always been about two things:
1) Creating a general mood & 2) Messing around with the sound. Like I said, this album is atmospheric and creates a mood on all of the ways that Tortoise can but, they are more concerned with slowly changing landscapes on this album. So if you're looking for more DJ work, then get 'Millions Now living...' if you're looking for slower and rootsier sounding stuff go for their self titled album and if you're looking for predominant avant garde, electronic excursion, then go for their latest 'Standards.' 'TNT' is for the eclectic and moody taste.