Search - Tortoise :: It's All Around You

Familiar, mellower, tighter, but still killer

wordtron | New York, NY USA | 04/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"just saw these guys at ny's bowery ballroom and hearing them live it's easy to figure out what's different about these new songs compared to their older stuff. in many ways, everything pre-standards is still amazing, especially live, because of the strong song structures, which are very architectural and decontructivist, literally. you see, hear and feel how the songs are built layer upon layer, building and building to the inevitable crumble and stumble that comes back satisfyingly to the original motif. i think beginning with standards, the songwriting has become much, much tighter, so that you almost don't notice the amazing musicianship at times. but also, the design of the songs is less apparent, and so sometimes, in comparison to the older tortoise sound, the new songs feel a might boring, especially with the slow jams. but when you experience this stuff live, you realize nothing has changed and these new songs rock just as much as the old ones. (also, i think one of the reasons it may feel like they're stalling, musically, is that the instrumentation hasn't changed: two vibraphones, two drum kits, bass, synth/effects, jazz guitar; hopefully on the next album they'll mix up the sounds some.) the double drumming live is killer. they played for nearly two hours and seemed really into it, as was the crowd. the opening act beans from anti-pop consortium was amazing as well."

Wasn't blown away at first, but...

Mark Twain | Sydney, Australia | 01/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I definitely wasn't disappointed when I heard this latest Tortoise disc - I wasn't blown away, either, though. Just saw Tortoise in Tokyo last week, and I can't stop listening to this album, now. 'Tortoise - Tortoise' was my favorite for a while, next to TNT. Both have been completely supplanted by this and 'Standards', both of which made up the majority of their short set.



These guys are amazing - live, and on their studio releases. If you don't listen closely enough, you may mistake Tortoise for new-age music, and I think the superficial similarity probably keeps a lot of people from taking the time to discover the most amazing, creative, and inspired 'rock' groups since Pink Floyd.



Their sound (even before they used computers to produce/make their music) sounds so influenced by technology, but manages to maintain the warmth and natural feel of jazz or even folk music.



Their use of the xylophone is central to their sound, but is done with the perfect balance of restrained melody, and percussive exuberance.



I think its impossible to compare Tortoise to any other group around. Their sound is truly 'ahead of its time' and timeless. Although their sound is totally different, for these two reasons, I can only think of Pink Floyd. I hate to compare or group Tortoise with other 'contemporary' 'electronica' or alternative groups such as Modest Mouse, Air, or Boards of Canada. Stereolab has some similarities, but I believe they had a common genesis...



OK, I'll stop babbling. Just buy this disc. Its beautiful and inspirational, and jams sometimes, too"

As good as music gets

whistle | 12/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a Tortoise fan since the late 90s, but never as committed as I have been since Standards was released. I approached It's All Around You with caution because I anticipated disappointment. At first, I agreed with all of the reviews that I had read. The album seemed to merely exist as another Tortoise album with no movement forward.



While I must admit that this is not a giant leap from Standards in terms of a cohesive album, it is the better of the two albums, in my opinion. Namely because of the climax that this album reaches. Standards almost appears to front load the best ideas while It's All Around You saves the best for last.



The first track threw me off because it is easy to dismiss it as close to random instrumentation with a solid (slightly simple) bass track. But it is so much more. Upon a couple of repeated listens, that song, like the rest of the album, revealed much more structural ingenuity. The multiple instruments that take part in the melody bounce off of one another and it becomes difficult to tell when a guitar ends and a vibraphone picks up. But the instruments are not to be observed seperately. Listening to how they compliment each other and form a beautiful melodic series is devestatingly brilliant. I posit that the first song sounds unlike anything that Tortoise has done before.



The entire album is phenomenal, but I would like to highlight the last song. This is where I really believe this album shines the most. Never before have I heard a band capture increasing intensity in a drum performance so well on tape. The song builds and builds and the instrumentation perfectly compliments the drums throughout this climactic process.



I hear far too often that this album is more of the same. If the same means being a mind-blowingly awesome band time after time, I hope that they don't change a thing."