A LAZARUS TAXON - TORTOISE
Hard-to-find oddities from one of indie rock’s most iconoclastic groups abound on this four-disc set, none better than “Gamera.” The 12-minute epic crystallizes Tortoise’s signature approach to instrumental bliss (simple, repeated riffs that explode into a dubtastic, electronically enhanced groove), a style that has been ripped off by many bands in the past decade. Other standouts: the Kraftwerkian “Madison Area,” Nobukazu Takemura’s bubbly “TNT” remix, the digital funk of “A Grape Dope,” an unrecognizable cover of Joy Division’s obscure “As You Said” and the kitchen-sink electronica of “Waihopai.” The third disc features the out-of-print 1995 collection “Rhythm, Resolutions & Clusters,” which boasts remixes by Steve Albini, Jim O’Rourke, early Tortoise member Bundy K. Brown and an unreleased remake of “Cornpone Brunch” by Mike Watt. Not just for completists, “Taxon” offers a worthwhile alternate look at a still-important band. Billboard
