Chicago-based post-rocker’s, Tortoise just released plans to drop their first full-length record in seven-years. Aptly titled: The Catastrophist, the sonically-challenging new LP will hit stores everywhere January 22, courtesy of Thrill Jockey.
Never one to be pigeonholed into one particular genre, progressive-rock pioneers, Tortoise have spent nearly a quarter-of-a-century defying the odds at shapeshifting their sound from one corner to the next. They seamlessly apply minimalism, dub, and electronica with the advanced improvisational-mantra of jazz fusion.
Solely configured on the cusp of consummate-instrumentalism, these leaders of quirky math-rock open their latest effort with the synthetic-sweeping of melancholy-lore spread-through the title track. An obscure cover of David Essex’s 1973 radio-hit, “Rock On” features an unlikely vocal approach by U.S. Maple/Dead Rider’s Todd Rittmann to hurl you further down the rabbit-hole.
Thriving on random bursts of inspiration, the quintet stumbled upon something special when they were commissioned by the City of Chicago in 2010 to compose a suite of music reflecting their musical ties to the city’s well-noted jazz and improvisational community. Taken from their five loosely-fit musical realizations performed via a string of live-performances, Tortoise soon knew they had fresh material to work with.
Tortoise’s drummer, John McEntire explains the realization: “When we finally got around to talking about a new record, the obvious solution to begin with was to take those pieces and see what else we could do with them. It turned out that for them to work for Tortoise, they needed a bit more of a rethink in terms of structure. They’re all pretty different in the sense that at first they were just heads and solos. Now, they’re orchestrated and complex.”
The Catastrophist’s first single, “Gesceap,” relays the metamorphosis of merely two subtle synth-voices subtly coalescing into a bold-finish of grand proportions and distinction:
“To a certain extent it’s more of a reflection of how we actually sound when we play live, ” explains McEntire, concerning the band’s heavier sound.
Accompanying the launch of their new LP, Tortoise will play a personalized hometown record-release performance in Chicago on January 23rd, jump-starting their massive-tour abroad. The Catastrophist is now available for pre-order and mail-order’s come clad with a t-shirt specifically designed by drummer and co-founder, John Herndon.
The Catastrophist
01. The Catastrophist
02. Ox Duke
03. Rock On
04. Gopher Island
05. Shake Hands With Danger
06. The Clearing Fills
07. Gesceap
08. Hot Coffee
09. Yonder Blue
10. Tesseract
11. At Odds With Logic
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