While it’s been five years since Chicago instrumentalists Tortoise have released a proper studio album, their new LP titled Beacons of Ancestorship is well worth the wait. The album not only offers 11 tracks that blend and bridge genres, but the band stays true to their defined progressive, post-rock sound and manage to subtly slip in their influences and inspirations without hitting you over the head.

A Thrill Jockey release, Beacons is the band’s sixth full-length album and comes 15 years after their debut. Tortoise excels at creating atmospheres and moods that change from song to song and at times within a single track. Beacons feels as though the band tried to throw a little bit of everything into the mix and drifts effortlessly across a spectrum from accessible melodic groove to avant-garde atonal minimalism.

The 8-minute opus, “High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In,” not only opens the album but exemplifies the band’s strengths. Stop-on-a-dime turns through multiple sections keep the listener engaged and curious about what’s to come next. Unassuming shifts into odd time signatures instantly exclaim that this is Tortoise. Halfway into the song comes an aggressive and rock driven shift that features a pulsating beat under a wash of distortion.

“Gigantes” begins with a disjointed rhythm and Middle Eastern flavored guitar work before shifting to synth driven noise rock. Scattered throughout the song are syncopated down tempo beats that incorporate intricate sonic embellishments. The track “Yinxianghechengqi” takes a turn toward more straightforward aggressive prog rock with a just a hint of a Zappa-esque composition. Leadoff single “Prepare Your Coffin” and “Charteroak Foundation” are two of the album’s more melodic tracks that could possibly induce dancing upon first listen.

Beacons Of Ancestorship sounds both familiar and fresh in that it grabs the listener’s attention as each song plows through the multiple genres like hip-hop, electronica, prog, punk and straight rock scattered throughout the album. But where often times a band so well versed and diverse can come across as directionless, Tortoise has always been and continues to be capable of producing a defining sound all its own.

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Catch Tortoise July 17 at Chicago’s Union Park as part of Pitchfork Music Festival‘s “Write the Night: Set Lists by Request” series (fans who purchase tickets will be able to vote on what the band plays in their set)! For tickets, click here.
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Listen to select tracks from Beacons of Ancestorship:

“Prepare Your Coffin”

“High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In”