Coming out of their Shell

Tortoise is a group that defies classification and touches on almost every genre of music. They never cease to surprise and make listeners want to insert explicit words before every positive adjective that describes their sound – “They’re so f***ing amazing!”

Much anticipation has amassed for their first album of new original material since April 2004: “Beacons of Ancestorship.”

My hat’s off to them for producing an inspired work of dignified music in a world of contrived pop songs. While people are singing about doing the Hellen Keller, Tortoise is reaching beyond the boundaries of contemporary music.

“High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In,” the eight-minute epic composition, opens the album on a very high note, literally. Droning guitar sweeps the listener into the bottoms of a bass-heavy, dub-inspired section before wooing again into another dimension of the song. A syncopated synthesizer belts out rhythms and the drums follow in its wake.

“Prepare Your Coffin” is a fast-paced song with lots of guitar runs and even a few small guitar solos here and there – odd in a Tortoise song, but they make it work so well. The pairing of distorted guitars and heavy drums with a harpsichord add to the track’s greatness.

The song of very bizarre titling, “Yinxianghechengqi,” is something I’ve never heard Tortoise do on any of their previous releases. It’s ambient, noisy, distorted and lo-fi. It might sound a little like if Trans Am met Fugazi, minus any vocals.

“The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One” is a stark contrast. Remember the part in “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” when the three men are standing in a circle, preparing to draw their guns, and the camera pans in closer to each of their faces? This song could provide an appropriate backing track. Its ethereal guitar, light cymbal taps and heavy, open-sounding downbeats give this song its own sort of anxiety.

The last track, “Charteroak Foundation,” is arguably one of the best tracks on the album. It’s lulling and soothing, but not in a way that makes you lose interest. The disorienting six over four rhythms brought on by the guitar and drums give the song a very strange feel. The guitar seems to pull the rest of the music toward the beginning of every phrase.

Fans of Tortoise will love this album, and for those not already introduced to their growing library of music, this will be the best introductory album.

Thank you, Tortoise, for making one of the best albums to be heard yet this year.