Name: The Catastrophist
Brand: Tortoise

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

thrill406cd

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2016-01-22

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

PIAS

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

790377040623

Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

thrill406lp

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790377040616

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Tortoise

Genre GB

Post Rock

Label GB

Thrill Jockey

Thrill Jockey is an American independent record label that was established in 1992 by Bettina Richards, a former A&R representative at Atlantic Records. Originally based in New York City, the label relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 1995.
With over two decades of experience, Thrill Jockey has become a prominent force in the music industry. Known for its diverse roster of artists and commitment to artistic integrity, the label has consistently released groundbreaking and innovative music across various genres.
Thrill Jockey's catalog includes a wide range of critically acclaimed albums from both established and emerging artists. From experimental rock to electronic music, jazz to folk, the label continues to push boundaries and support unique voices within the industry.

Tortoise is a post-rock band from Chicago known for their almost entirely instrumental music that defies easy categorization. With roots in the city's fertile music scene, the group incorporates styles closer to Krautrock, dub, minimalism, electronica, and various jazz styles into their sound. Some consider Tortoise as one of the prime forces behind the development and popularity of the post-rock movement. Their music has also been described as heavily indebted to progressive rock.

Formed in the late 1980s by Doug McCombs and John Herndon, Tortoise initially envisioned themselves as a freelance rhythm section similar to reggae legends Sly and Robbie. However, their interest in grooving rhythms and recording studio trickery led them to collaborate with drummer John McEntire and bassist Bundy K. Brown (both formerly of Bastro) before adding Dan Bitney to complete the lineup. While all members contribute to songwriting, McEntire is often seen as the group's guiding force due to his role as recording engineer and mixer.

Tortoise has released records on Thrill Jockey label and is associated with other groups such as The Sea and Cake, Brokeback, Slint, Isotope 217, and the Chicago Underground Duo.

Simply put, Tortoise has spent nearly 25 years making music that defies description. While the Chicago-based instrumental quintet has nodded to dub, rock, jazz, electronica and minimalism throughout its revered and influential six-album discography, the resulting sounds have always been distinctly, even stubbornly, their own. It's a fact that remains true on 'The Catastrophist,' Tortoise's first studio album in nearly seven years. And it's an album where moody, synth-swept jams like the opening title track cozy up next to hypnotic, bass-and-beat missives like 'Shake Hands With Danger' and a downright strange cover of David Essex's 1973 radio smash sung by U.S. Maple's Todd Rittman. Throughout, the songs transcend expectations as often as they delight the eardrums. Tortoise, comprised of multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Doug McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker, has always thrived on sudden bursts of inspiration. And for 'The Catastrophist,' the spark came in 2010 when the group was commissioned by the City of Chicago to compose a suite of music rooted in its ties to the area's noted jazz and improvised music communities. Tortoise then performed those five loose themes at a handful of concerts, and "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," says McEntire, at whose Soma Studios the band recorded the new album. "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." "All of the songs went through a pretty intensive process of restructuring," adds Parker. "We actually had quite a lot of material that we ended up giving up on. Oftentimes, we'll shelve ideas and come back to them years later." The album's single 'Gesceap' embodies the transformation of the original suite commissions, as it morphs from two gently intersecting synth lines into a pounding, frenzied full-band finish. "To a certain extent it's more of a reflection of how we actually sound when we play live," says McEntire of Tortoise's heavier side. "That hasn't always been captured as well on past albums." Elsewhere, 'Hot Coffee' resurrects an idea abandoned from the band's 2004 album "It's All Around You," gliding through only-on-a- Tortoise-album sections of funktastic bass lines, straight-up dance beats and Parker's fusion-flecked guitar bursts. "It's progressive experimental music with pop sensibilities," says Parker. 'Rock On,' which McEntire says he and McCombs simultaneously had the idea to cover after having remembered hearing it on the radio all the time as kids, isn't the only vocal moment on 'The Catastrophist.' Also included is the bittersweet, honest-to-goodness soul ballad 'Yonder Blue,' sung by Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley. "We'd finished the track and decided it would be good to have vocals on it," recalls McEntire. "Robert Wyatt was our first choice, but he had just retired and politely said no. We were discussing asking Georgia to do something, but not that track in particular. Then we realized it would totally work." As ever, Tortoise has conjured sounds on 'The Catastrophist' that aren't being purveyed anywhere else in music today. There's a deeply intuitive interplay between the group members that comes only from two decades of experimentation, revision and improvisation. And at a time when our brains are constantly bombarded by myriad distractions, 'The Catastrophist' reminds us that there's something much greater out there. All we have to do is listen. CD version in 4 panel mini-LP style gatefold package.LP - 180 Gram Vinyl Pressed on black virgin vinyl and packaged in a heavy 24 point board jacket with artworked inner sleeve and free download coupon. Initial run includes a limited number of orange colour vinyl editions - allocated at random.

The Catastrophist

Music GB