TortoiseBest Tortoise Albums Ranked

A Lazarus Taxon (Audio Version)

pitchfork

9.2

“This 3xCD/DVD package collects singles, B-sides, and remixes released between 1995 and 2001-- including the whole of the band's long out-of-print remix EP Rhythms, Resolutions, and Clusters.”

Standards

pitchfork

9.2

“There's something inherently non-anthemic about the type of music that's come to be known as "post-rock." In order for music to be considered anthemic, it has to work in big, sweeping gestures. Big, pounding rhythms, soaring melodies, powerful arrangements-- these are the things of American anthems. Up until now, most post-rock has featured none of these elements. The melodies-- when there are coh”

TNT

pitchfork

9.0

“Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit the wondrous alchemy of performance and technology found on Tortoise’s third record.”

Beacons of Ancestorship (Bonus Track Version)

pitchfork

7.9

“Tortoise finally make their jam band record, but manage to wonderfully blend it with both the dance- and lounge-rooted aspects of their sound.”

Touch

pitchfork

7.6

“The Chicago post-rock band’s first album in nine years was recorded between three separate cities. It’s a noisy, unstable, and strangely moving listen.”

Touch

exclaim

7.0

“Between 1994 and 2001, this Tortoise released four albums that had critics scouring thesauruses for superlatives to praise their skills as composers, musicians and trailblazers who helped define the then-recently coined "post-rock" genre.The Chicago quintet's subsequent output was a bit more slow-moving, due in part to demands placed on the individual members as musicians and engineers in a variet”