Tortoise
Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996)
A handful of my close friends have probably, at some stage in their lives, heard me clamber aboard my high horse about musical genre labels. This is because I often find they can be somewhat misleading, particularly when talking about 'alternative' music. To me, the genre label 'alternative' merely signifies that some music writer couldn't pigeonhole a band, so came up with the catch-all label 'alternative' to describe music that didn't fit into the Rock/Pop/Blues/Metal categories.
Another strange genre label is 'post-rock'. What does that even mean? What makes something 'post-rock'? It indicates nothing about form or content, other than to say it somehow supersedes traditional rock music. Consequently, it does nothing to inform a listener (or potential listener) of what the music will be like. When even 'post-rock' bands themselves reject the label, that tells you everything you need to know.
Onto Tortoise, one of the best known bands in the post-rock fusion of many musical styles scene. They have developed a following over the years for their arty, instrumental soundscapes and their adherence to no particular style - jazz, indie, ambient, dub, electronica, Krautrock....all those and more are often crammed into a single song, let alone a whole album.
Millions Now Living Will Never Die was their second studio release (not counting a remix of their first album). When it came out in 1996, many critics raved about it, and it featured on a number of 'best in year' lists (as well as the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die). Despite not being a big fan of post-rock freeform experimentation of multiple styles within semi-traditional rock structures (apart from Sigur Ros, who rule), I decided to check this album out to see what all the fuss was about.
The Album
You know all those musical styles and genres I mentioned about Tortoise earlier? Yeah, well, they are all present on this almost entirely instrumental album. Tortoise differ from usual 'rock' bands in that there is no emphasis on riffs, verses, choruses and solos; the band's work on this album is all about the crafting of soundscapes with multiple layers, fused together to make a whole. If anything, the style of this album owes a great deal to classical music because of the way Tortoise have used an array of different instruments, sounds and styles to create whole, cohesive pieces of music, similar to the way a classical composer would utilise many different instruments to fashion a symphony.
Nowhere is this more evident than the almost twenty-one minute long opener, Djed. The song takes us through an array of influences and styles, the most prominent of which is Krautrock. The hypnotic, repetitive bass riff that dominates the first half, the subtle use of synthesiser chords and the smattering of more musique concrete samples would not have been out of place on a Can, Faust or Neu! album. Those layers of sound float in and out of the track almost effortlessly, as one instrument is replaced by another playing the same melody. Halfway through the song ventures further into Kraftwerk territory; chugging organ and synthesiser sounds pulse throughout while vibraphone drifts in over the top. This part of the song owes a great deal to the minimalist movement as there really is nothing else in the song at this point.
As Djed closes, the rumbling bass melody from the first half of the song returns accompanied by a discordant keyboard melody, and the song has no real ending, it just sort of fades, unnoticed, into the next song. It is one hell of a musical journey and, at times, a beautiful composition. It's not perfect; earlier in the track the keyboard is front and centre, and it is played in such a staccato, out of tune style that it sounds like someone drunkenly playing keys. There are also a few jarring transitions that surprised me, as I simply wasn't expecting them. However, it never at any stage outstays its welcome. There are so many changes and layers that there's always something new.
From there, the album consists of much (MUCH) shorter songs. Glass Museum is a more traditional indie rock sounding song, as the guitar takes more of an active role in the melody. Again, though, there's no big riffs or flashy solos, rather the use of guitar as just another layer in the soundscape. As a progressive rock nerd and drummer, I also really loved the use of wacky time signatures (for those playing at home, there's some 13/8 sections and some 11/8 sections.) A Survey is just bass and guitar, and not really very good. All of that complexity that makes the album so damn listenable isn't there.
The Taut and the Tame is a very jazzy number. It's more minimalist and sparse in its arrangement; while there are drums, bass, guitar, synthesisers and vibraphones, none is particularly dominant and there's plenty of empty space in the sound. This track also contained some sharp, dexterous drum work, adding to the jazz flavour of the song. I quite enjoyed it. Dear Grandma and Grandpa opens with some Krautrock flavour but that quickly gives way to some amazing sounding ambient music. Multiple layers of synthesiser create the sound, while underneath we have our first and only sign of vocals; however, these are unintelligible and are simply another layer of sound. You get the sense that they are not meant to be understood. Finally, the album closes with the excellent Along the Banks of Rivers. Built around a guitar melody that could have been on an Ennio Morricone spaghetti western score, the song is also more 'traditional indie' in that the guitar is at the forefront of the sound. When it's not doing its Morricone thing, it's playing some sparse, bent notes that are not too dissimilar from what you would have heard David Gilmour playing in his early Pink Floyd days. While all that is going on, gentle percussion and synthesisers churn away underneath. Perhaps it was the Floydian feel to this song, but I really loved it.
The Verdict
So far, I think this has been my hardest album to give a rating to and a verdict of. Millions Now Living Will Never Die is, in many ways, a remarkable album, in that its fusion of so many sounds and styles never once sounds forced. Most of the songs are genuinely amazing pieces of music, beautifully composed, recorded and compiled. It is not a genuine rock album, and yet in some ways it is, because it uses sounds and styles that many indie rock bands have copied (and continue to copy even today).
It's tough to recommend though. This sort of music is definitely not for everyone (and I say that with no hint of snobbish nose-in-the-air attitude). It's not the sort of album you're gonna whack on the CD player when you're driving to work or when you're off out with your mates. It also can't be used as background noise. It demands to be listened to with fullest attention. That's what makes it difficult to recommend to others; not because people Just Won't Get It, because beautiful music is beautiful music...but this album requires a certain mood on the part of the listener.
There's also the plain and simple fact that many people would find it beautiful.... yet painfully tedious. One could level the criticism that some of the songs don't really go anywhere, and I think that would be perfectly valid; they are often repetitive and the changes that are present are very subtle. I personally didn't find it boring on this listen, but in all honesty, I know there would be times when I would sooner watch the weeds grow in my backyard than listen to Tortoise. I don't say that to be critical, merely realistic, and to help you decide whether it's for you or not.
So it is going to get a high rating from me, because I really loved listening to it, and because Tortoise did an outstanding job making such wonderful pieces of art. But if you yourself want to listen to it, make sure you've got 42 minutes spare to do absolutely nothing other than lose yourself in the music, and prepare yourself to simply do nothing other than listen.
My rating: ****
Standout Tracks
Djed
Along the Banks of Rivers
Tomorrow I bring you an early album by a band that's arguably the biggest, most bombastic rock band in the world at the moment, and ask the questions - where did it all go so wrong, and why are the comparisons to Queen so markedly apt in so many ways?
No comments:
Post a Comment