Tortoise' "A Lazarus Taxon"

"Lazarus Taxon is the paleontological term for a species that disappears, then reappears in the fossil record."

That is an applicable term for this collection of rare, out-of-print, b-side, foreign, and unreleased tracks from the band that I consider the apotheosis of post-rock.

It's the ultimate rarity collection for the ultimate Tortoise fan, but it's also just a good selection of songs, though mostly from the earlier era of Tortoise recording history (thus the title of the album).

And the great thing is that like all Thrill Jockey (that is the record label) albums, you can listen to the whole thing on their website.

Check out tracks like the legendary Gamera (1st one; this was a bonus track on some releases of their excellent "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" from 1996; I had a recording of this from some random Tortoise B-sides from Kenny Jensen), and Didjeridoo (which happens to be an Australian aboriginal instrument used on the track), which is just a cool track.

Things to keep in mind if you listen to Gamera (and really, you should- this whole blog wouldn't exist without music like this): this is a quintessential Tortoise track- long, sprawling, and evolving. The tempo changes radically midway through, so if you happen to get bored with the beautifully intertwining guitar section that forms the beginning, keep listening... you can hear it growing as it builds layer upon layer... and that at the end it begins to tear apart the layers, and finally diminish, like the white dwarf star that lingers on after a supernova (in some situations... I'm sure my many stellar astronomer friends will be quick to correct me...) .

This the kind of song for which a line from Garden State is applicable: "You have to listen to this song. It will change your life." (Sam says that, or something like it when she first meets the intriguing protagonist in the neurologist's office. In that context it is in reference to a superb Shins song; by the way, the Shins are good- quality baroque-pop; check them out!)

Fear not- more mini-reviews are on the way!

Now that I'm going back and adding videos to give you a taste of some of the music, here's a fairly abstract video to a fabulous track from "Standards"- Seneca. Be patient with the raucous intro- it really develops quite well ;)