Tortoise

I saw Tortoise last week at Mr. Smalls'. For those unaquainted with their music, Chicago natives Tortoise revolutionized independent music in the '90s by incorporating more left-field influences into their post-rock compositions like Krautrock, avant-jazz, electronica, and classical minimalism. Leaning on crisp instrumentation, instrumental prowess and the dynamics of the players themselves, Tortoise swam alone in a punk- and rock-dominated music sea for a good while. The first album, Tortoise, cemented the tone for Chicago prog rock in 1994 and secured Tortoise's label, Thrill Jockey, as a mainstay label in the underground music world.

Tortoise broke the surface of the underground with Millions Now Living Will Never Die in 1996, followed by the seminal TNT in 1998. Standards emerged in 2001, followed by It's All Around You in 2004, a collaborative album with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy called The Brave and The Bold, numerous side-project albums, and 2009's Beacons of Ancestorship.

Tortoise, in all their musical proliferation and incredible connections to other major players in the music world, were pretty solid live. I was surprised by their relatively simple stage setup; I was expecting tons more equipment. Seems like old hat for these guys - and that's exactly what I saw; a well-oiled, legendary machine. Check out some videos below.