Tortoise

ALL, “Long Distance”

A thing you can say about ALL is how incredibly consistent the sound of the band was across records. The guitar, bass, and drums all sound exactly the same across every record. They had the sound they liked, and they stuck with it.

Girl Talk, “Let It Out”

I know random verses from a bunch of songs just due to their presence on All Day, which is always a little jarring when I hear the songs removed from this context. There’s always a disorienting moment of “why do I know this song?”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Purple Haze”

‘Scuse me while I fuck this blog!

Steady Ernest, “Roll On”

Didn’t we just have Steady Ernest? I wonder what the most frequent ska band we’ve had show up here is? Seems like it should be the Slackers, just going off the number of albums I have from them. 22 tracks from the Slackers. Geez. I don’t remember them showing up that much. I guess I’ve been doing this for a while.

Tortoise, “Charteroak Foundation”

Tortoise had five years between this record and the previous one (not counting their collab with Bonnie “Prince” Billy), and when they came back, they were sounding pretty energized. This track is a good example - it starts out sounding like a contemplative piece of post-rock, but it eventually turns into what sounds like at least two different songs being played at the same time. Fun stuff!

Quasimoto, “Don’t Blink”

Quasimoto is one of Madlib’s many aliases, and probably the most unhinged of his various projects. The production in particular is spastic, with sounds popping in and out in unpredictable ways, giving the proceedings a lurching feel that is diquieting. Combine that with his disaffected, helium-accented flow, and it’s just a very strange record. Really good, though.

Tortoise, “Spiderwebbed”

The first Tortoise record is a landmark in post-rock, representing an approach to making music with guitars and drums that would help inspire lots of following bands. I don’t think it’s their best record, but it’s excellent stuff, and it’s easy to see why this album got people excited.

Mudhoney, “It Is Us”

If you got off the Mudhoney train back in the early 90s, you’re in good company. But it’s worth taking a look at their later catalog - they’ve got five studio albums after the 90s, and they range from solid to excellent. Under a Billion Suns is one of the very good ones, but not the best (that’s The Lucky Ones). But give it a whirl!

Phono-Comb, “Grip ’n’ Grin”

Phono-Comb is a successor band to the great Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, which you probably guessed if you’re familiar with that band’s work. Two-thirds of the band (Don Pyle on drums and Reid Diamond on bass) played in the band, and their lone LP (1996’s Fresh Gasoline) is great. If you’re not familiar with the Shadowy Men, I just found out that Yep Roc has brought their three outstanding records back into print, and you need to go check them out now.

Bathory, “Possessed”

Bathory’s second album, The Return of the Darkness and Evil, was one of the touchstones in black metal’s first wave. Most of the traits of the genre were in place at this point, with the murky production, shrieked vocals, satanic themes, and punishing pace. The template would get refined on Bathory’s next record, but this is one of the establishing albums.

The Unsemble, “Krishna”

The Unsemble are an experimental outfit consisting of Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten), Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard, Firewater), and Brian Kotzur (Silver Jews). There’s nothing really rock about it, and it doesn’t sound much like any of these folks’ other bands, other than some of Neubauten’s quieter moments. It’s an interesting listen, though, and I recommend it.

Mephiskapheles, “Satanic Debris”

As a statement of purpose for a band, it doesn’t get a whole lot stronger than this one. From the opening backwards masked vocals, to the dark lyrics, the subtle distortion of the guitar lending some additional menace, to the hallmark solo trading, you just have a perfect encapsulation of the (wonderful) Mephiskapheles aesthetic. The odds that a band named Mephiskapheles would turn in one of the finest albums of the third wave seems slim, but God Bless Satan is legitimately a treasure.

Tortoise, “TNT”

One thing I’ve always loved about Tortoise is their willingness to name songs things totally different from what they might sound like. A song called “TNT” should sound like, I dunno, an AC/DC knock-off, not a cerebral post-rock tune with a trumpet solo.

Secrets of the Sky, “V”

That’s the Roman numeral for 5, not the letter. All of the songs with Roman numerals on this record are little interstitials. I, uh, remember listening to this record several years ago, but that’s the extent of what I remember.

Back! Caught you lookin’ for the same thing!

M83, “Go!”

I don’t really know what to think about M83. At times, it’s kind of bland, emotionally manipulative but forgettable post-rock. But there are times when it’s energetic and nostalgia driven fun. Junk leans into the past especially hard, which makes it my favorite M83 album. This song, corny as it is, is a blast.

Tortoise, “Learning Curve”

Uh, speaking of post-rock. Well, nobody would describe this as “energetic”. Or “fun”.