I’m not entirely sure how the members of Tortoise decided on their name, but as far as animal representations go, it seems surprisingly congruous with the type of music that they create. Stop for a moment and think about your general perception of tortoises and their behavior; without referencing National Geographic or some other knowledgeable organization, I imagine tortoises spend their days moseying along at their usual pace, not giving a shit, but completely focused on the task at hand. Whether the task is munching on some delish greenery or circumnavigating a giant boulder unfortunately placed in middle of the desert, tortoises do what they need to, and they do so with subtle, but obvious precision. The point being… wouldn’t it be totally awesome to be a tortoise!?
An alternative point: the human members of Tortoise deserve some recognition for their decidedly consistent, precise, and influential take on the post-rock genre. And as it turns out, the Chicago-based record label with which they’ve had a long-standing relationship, Thrill Jockey, is in total agreement on this point, as they’ve just announced that they’ll be reissuing on vinyl all of Tortoise’s major releases, with the exception of a remix album, which I honestly didn’t even know existed. Here’s a list of the relevant albums: Tortoise (1994), Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996), TNT (1998), Standards (2001), It’s All Around You (2004), and Beacons of Ancestorship (2009). According to The Wire, the six vinyl reissues are a part of Thrill Jockey’s upcoming 20th anniversary plans, and each edition will come with free digital download codes. There aren’t any release dates at the moment, so keep your bulging reptile eyes on the Thrill Jockey website for any updates.
• Tortoise: http://www.trts.com
• Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com
