Customer Reviews

TNT

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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

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.

The third full-length demonstration of Tortoise's brilliant musical evolution, this disc has me a little worried that they'll be unable to ever record a worthy follow-up. This album can rightfully be called a masterpiece, and is best received in one contemplative listen from start to finish. John McIntire is not only an accomplished drummer, but also a stunning producer and multi-instrumentalist who weaves a cohesive album from seemingly disparate elements. There's brilliant avant-jazz in "Swung From The Gutters"; check out the enigmatic but gorgeous spaghetti-western strains of "I Set My Face To The Hillside". You'll hear amazingly organic electronica in "Jetty", "The Equator" and the epic "In Sarah, Mencken, Christ & Beethoven There Were Women & Men", and hypnotic ambient in "Four Day Interval" and "Ten Day Interval". Chicago jazz VIP Jeff Parker stands out with beautiful guitar work on tracks such as "TNT", "Jetty", and (my favorite) "The Suspension Bridge At Iguazu Falls". By the time the last shimmering notes of "Everglade" signal the close of this lush album, you'll take a deep breath and press play again. P.S. You may think that studio trickery and electronic sequencing are responsible for the many sonically revolutionary moments on this album - until you have the priveledge of hearing this virtuosic collective play live and pull it off perfectly.

Tortoise's third album, TNT, is a step forward from their previous outings in the most literal sense. One of the premiere innovators of Chicago's burgeoning post-rock community, Tortoise continues to push the technological boundaries of the genre by incorporating a host of obscure electronic instruments in addition to a traditional rock lineup. Elongating their Pink Floydian drones and expanding upon their vision of Sonic Youth turned krautrock, Tortoise mutates their improvisational, instrumental noodlings into fully fleshed out, captivating soundscapes akin to Can or Kraftwerk. This dominance of ambience over edginess on TNT is really the key to its success. By removing the band's choppy rhythms and more obvious rock leanings once and for all, TNT is a point of evolution for Tortoise which brings them beyond the realm of experimental rock in order to arrive at a plateau that is far more indebted to the worlds of film music and progressive rock. Because of this, TNT is perhaps more of a background album than past Tortoise ventures, a listen which relies far more on a consistent vibe than individual songs, but despite the pointed lack of hooks or seeming inaccessibility of the CD, TNT reveals itself to be an album which operates on many levels. An entrancing experience if listened to with rapt attention with eyes closed or if simply played over the car stereo while cruising down the highway, TNT is ambient music that vastly exceeds the constraints of background noise. In a sense, TNT is the evolution of rock into realms often thought to be out of the genre's grasp as much as it is a grounding of heady ambient ideals, that actually expose a surprising number of more straightforward influences. TNT is background music for the classic rock fan and rock music for the ambient connoisseur, because while it is often associated with the vague category of "post-rock," TNT is a far more diverse collage than its nametag implies.

Out of the 1st four Tortoise albums, I think this is the best. The first two Tortoise albums stood out for their extremely sparse and dry sound but on TNT, the production is much lusher and the group fills up a lot more of the sonic space. New elements like IDM and lounge music mix with the traditional Tortoise trademarks (twangy guitars, cinematic grandeur, chugging rhythms, chiming tuned percussion). The album is all over the map stylistically but manages to weave a coherent tapestry of sound. Definitely a fun album to listen to whether you are studying, driving, or simply watching the old lava lamp.

[This review is based on the 1998 CD; I have not heard the latest reissue.]

Review no. 47. Believe this is the only Tortoise CD I've ever had, even saw them play live while out on this very tour. While Tortoise's work may be a bit too Avant Garde experimental for me, I was still able to get some listening pleasure from this release. Tunes I was most semi-impressed with were the opening title track "TNT", "I Set My Face To The Hillside", "Suspension Bridge At Iguazu Falls" and the inventive "In Sarah, Mencken, Christ And Beethoven". For the record - Tortoise is GOOD at what they do. I'm second guessing here, but most of this Chicago band's repertoire just might appeal to some fans of Stereolab, Pell Mell, Soft Machine, Cul De Sac and Steve Reich.

A very solid record, not a bad track found here. This is not music you would listen to with friends, but it is perfect for mornings or evenings alone as well as for driving at night. I think the song "the Equator" is the finest electronic song I have ever heard. I imagine this would be the music that would play in the background of a movie as someone ran through the rain forest at night. Very vibrant and imaginative textures. You won't be dissapointed.

First off, there's no doubt that this album is brilliant -- trust every good thing you've read about TNT on this page. You can count on falling in love with these tunes. I have heard nothing like it -- except, maybe, the other Tortoise albums and side projects like Brokeback's "Field Recordings from the Cook County Water Table" (if you love Tortoise you'll love that too) -- and every time I listen to TNT I am astonished again. It remains fresh. It's by far their best album, in my opinion.

Second, see Tortoise live if you can. I went to see them in Chicago in 2000, at a festival held at The Metro Cabaret that included related acts like The Sea and Cake, Brokeback, and Isotope 217. Hearing Tortoise live was a revelation -- I got a new insight into their music. Silly me -- before going to that concert, I naively thought that Tortoise just liked to jam, and that they might not play any stuff recognizable from their albums. I learned that night that everything Tortoise does is carefully worked-out, note-for-note, and everything they played was from their albums. It was great to hear their set open with those kind of jangly, instantly recognizable notes from the song "TNT." Everyone knew then that we were in for one hell of a show. It was amazing.

Well, what can i say that the others reviewers didn't? It's not an easy cd. Sure, you can listen to the whole of it without complaining, but still you're bound to say: there's something missing (I did anyway). But for some reason it won't come out of your cd player, and after you have listened to it for the tenth time you'll get it. It's a materpiece, complex music beautifully played (and produced) that will make you uncertain of what it is you're listening to. But believe me, it's rock. Sure it may sound weird, but that's what it is. You'll even find yourself humming parts of songs (TNT, swung from the gutters, I set my face..., In sarah...)! But the surprise comes when you realize they all play that LIVE, without much electronic assistance. And I have been lucky to see them twice, on consecutive nights, and boy, do they shine! Most of them are multi-instrumentists that change instruments many times during the show (you gotta see them play double xilophone to believe me). I don't know if I can help you, but the bottomline is: if you want to listen to some very innovative rock (and the word here is misleading), played by young masters, buy this record, it shows their maturity, creativity and influence on minor bands (it was recorded in 1997). John McEntire, if you read this, PLEASE RECORD A LIVE TORTOISE PERFORMANCE!