For the second year in a row, Chicago imprint Thrill Jockey is once again offering a vinyl single subscription series.
This year, the 12′ series includes new recordings from Double Dagger, Javelin, High Places, Future Islands, Jason Urick, Oval, and Jack Rose with D Charles Speer & the Helix. So, if you subscribe, you can have 7 limited edition vinyl singles by the start of summer. Radical!
By Richard Giraldi \ comments
Left to right: Parker, McCombs(top), Bitney (bottom), Herndon, McEntire
While much of the mid-90’s musical era was saturated with grunge-wannabes, Chicago’s Tortoise gained much attention for issuing album after album of exciting and intriguing instrumental progressive/experimental rock music. Tortoise’s influences are countless with their music spanning multiple genres such as punk, jazz, Krautrock, avant-garde, and even electronica. The group’s current lineup, of which is all multi-instrumentalists, consists of Dan Bitney, John McEntire, Jeff Parker, Doug McCombs, and John Herndon.
Tortoise formed in Chicago in 1990 and have since released six studio albums on Chicago imprint Thrill Jockey. Their newest effort, Beacons Of Ancestorship, was released on June 23 and has already garnered much critical acclaim. Additionally, Tortoise is performing at Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday July 17 as part of the ticket buyer-voted set list series “Write The Night.”
We caught up with Tortoise drummer/sequencer/whatever-ist John Herndon before their U.S. tour kicks off at Los Angeles’ Troubadour tomorrow night to discuss the five-year gap between albums, synthesizers, Pitchfork Music Festival, and the label “experimental rock.” Complete interview following the jump:
By Richard Giraldi \ 4 comments
Album cover credit: Pitchfork.com
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.
By Andrew Kahn \ 4 comments
Instrumental post-rockers Tortoise dropped 2 new tracks to download for free from their forthcoming album Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey). While the new disc won’t be out until June 22, an mp3 of “High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In” was made available via Stereogum, as well as “Prepare Your Coffin” over at Pitchfork.
Already slated to perform at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park July 17 as part of the the “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), a few additional tour dates were also announced today which include a trip to Japan July 24.
By Andrew Kahn \ comments
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