Torsion Music
1993
I just recently pulled out Tortoise's first album and was reminded of how amazing this band was back in the day. This is their very first record, released on (if I remember right) Jesus Lizard bassist David Sims' Torsion Music in 1993. These guys get an unfair shake from a lot of folks these days. But they deserve, in the words of John Fahey, neither "the credit nor the blame" for the deluge to tepid "post-rock" that followed in their wake. Fact is, when these first couple of records showed up there was nothing else like it going on. I mean, there were touchstones for sure- Faust, Liquid Liquid, fIREHOSE, African Head Charge, CAN, etc.- but from the beginning they were able to incorporate a wide range of influences without being beholden to any set style or paradigm. At this point though, they're still a band finding their voice and, as such, this record, upbeat and almost outright funky, is unlike anything else in their catalog.
3 comments:
Cheers! x
Wow, it's been forever since I put this on, but reading this made me go back and listen to it. Still vital. For me, everything they did up to and through 'TNT' was (and still is) nearly flawless.
Thanks for posting this; I think 7" of the day is a great idea, cheers for making it happen!
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