"To some, the emergence of Tortoise was a worrying
sign. When their debut album was released in 1994 complete with long instrumental
workouts, many critics cried that prog-rock had returned and we would all
be cast back into the bad days of the mid-Seventies and its dinosaur rock.
Although at times their debut did lapse into fits of navel-gazing, it showed
plenty of promise for greater things. Sure enough on their second LP, "Millions
Now Living Will Never Die", all expectations were both met and exceeded.
Previous noodlings were replaced with perfect craftmanship and a beautifully
constructed sound was created.
The album was propelled by the odd combination of two basses, two percussionists,
keyboards, guitars, vibraphone, melodica and a host of other under-used
instruments. With all wrapped up together, things certainly gelled. Starting
with the twenty minute sprawl of "Djed", the track's texture is
constantly changing, from lo-fi to high-tech to heavy orchestration and
onto fields of static. "Glass Museum" follows it with softly played
guitar occasionally rising in a quasi-classical arrangement to be married
with glowing cymbals. The tiny "A Survey" ticks by like a precision
watch with the sounds of a contry field at night-time in the foreground
and massaged bass. "Dear Grandma And Grandpa" is like nothing
else you have heard before, with dubby bass filters and a warm techno hum
drenching its every move. Matters come to a close with the cinematic "Along
The Banks Of Rivers", which could double as fitting closing music to
a bloody western. With it's net of influences cast far and wide - from rock,
dub and classical, from both east and west - "Millions Now Living..."
is a record that neither Tortoise nor anyone else in their field is likely
to surpass." (John Dee) |
auf erweiterter Jahresliste 
Plattentipp 
#10 Sounds(2009)
eins von 1001 Alben, die Ihr hören solltet, bevor das Leben vorbei ist! (2008)
