(photo by PlayBSides)

If the members of Tortoise retained anything from their kindergarten days, it is that it’s always polite to share. The band demonstrated as much in their latest tour stop at the Cedar.

After weathering an opening band that sounded a bit like Fugazi if Ian MacKaye had been shot with a tranquilizer dart, the near-capacity crowd welcomed the Chicago quintet in as zealous a manner as one can expect for a band named Tortoise. One audience member shouted, “In 1993 an album was released and it keeps getting better every year,” referring to the self-titled Tortoise. Dan Bitney shot back with, “Yeah, Snoop Dogg’s first album.”

(photo by PlayBSides)

Tortoise proceeded to ooze their way through a career-spanning set, presenting material from their eponymous debut on Thrill Jockey records, to the classic TNT and beyond. As always, the group showed impressive instrumental range, taking turns on guitar, bass, keyboards, drums and percussion – even marimba; having just five members didn’t stop Tortoise from featuring seven or eight instruments per song.

(photo by PlayBSides)

Set against a trippy, lo-fi backdrop, Tortoise delivered it’s brand of squidgy dub loops, dual bass grooves and assorted sonic drippings to a hipster crowd content to simply bob their heads to the beat. The minimalist setting fit well with this low-key band, which doesn’t feel the need to bother with vocals. The evening culminated in a series of slightly edgier encore numbers that sounded ripped from the soundtrack of an other-worldly James Bond flick.

With its own unique brand of musical chairs, the group proved that 17 years on, age isn’t slowing this Tortoise down.

[review by guest contributor William McClain]

Official | MySpace | Wikipedia