Tortoise
★★★★
Touch
INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM/ NONESUCH. CD/DL/LP
The Chicago institution are a long-distance band now, but their chemistry remains.
Moving at their own deliberate pace for the last three decades, Tortoise have developed the rare ability to remain rooted near their origins while eyeing other frontiers. Their first album in nine years indeed echoes the past as it again turns ahead. Where Oganesson extends from their bebop and dub pedigrees and Axial Seamount floats in radiant kosmische space, Elka summons drummer John Herndon’s recent headlong dives into hard-hitting electronics. Even as the rhythm distorts and the keys curl like smoke during Layered Presence, it is clear that this is still Tortoise, from the hypnotic sway of Jeff Parker’s clavinet to the acidic rush of Doug McCombs’ guitar. But the real treasure here is the finale, Night Gang. These five minutes combine so many familiar Tortoise elements – spaghetti western guitars, sophisticated drums, celestial textures – into what may be their most self-possessed post-rock moment ever. The wait, rewarded.