aaamusic | On 23, Apr 2012

Millions Now Living Will Never Die is the second full-length offering from Tortoise. The majority of the material was first conceived during an idyllic 10-day retreat in Northern Vermont, where the group were able to explore their ideas in a setting that fostered introspection and inspiration: the results are clearly evident in the washes of Klangfärben (tone color) and rhythm that permeate the album. The sounds and ideas contained therein can be viewed as a logical extension of those found their first (eponymous) LP on Thrill Jockey where the group outlined an agenda exploring texture, space, and mood. MNLWND, however, offers not only an expansion of those ideas but also the introduction of several new elements into the musical equation. New instrumental textures (marimbas and other mallet percussion on “Djed” (pronounced “jed”); conventional electric guitar on “Glass Museum”; analog synthesis/sequencing and found sound on “Dear Grandma and Grandpa”) and structural ideas (the extended formal procedures of “Djed”; the non-narrative song “Along the Banks of Rivers”) represent clear developments and redefinition’s of the group’s sound.

Recording commenced immediately upon returning to Chicago, though due to a variety of reasons, the entire recording and mixing process became elongated. This less hurried approach to album making allowed the group to explore more of the possibilities inherent in the material; the 21-minute “Djed” is ample proof of this. The final version of the track went through approximately 15 different stages of mixing and editing. Like their debut, MNLWND was recorded and mixed by John McEntire (who has also recently produced material by Stereolab, Run On, The Sea and Cake, Trans Am, and Come). The majority of the album was recorded and mixed at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago, with the remainder being realized at the newly established SOMA Electronic Music Studios. MNLWND is the first studio recording to feature the talents of David Pajo, who joined to fill the position vacated by Bundy K. Brown in late 1994.

Available now for pre-order HERE

Tortoise reissue LPs coming this year:

January 23rd – Standards – sold out
April 21st – “Lonesome Sound” and “Mosquito” 7″s – sold out
May 14th – Millions Now Living Will Never Die
July 23rd – Tortoise
August 20th – It’s All Around You
September 17th – TNT
October 15th- Beacons of Ancestorship

European 2012 tour dates:

Sat May 12th Santiago Compostella, Spain – Auditorio Galicia
Tue May 15th Madrid, Spain – Rock Kitchen
Wed May 16th Barcelona, Spain – Apolo
Thu May 17th Valencia, Spain – Wah Wah
Fri May 18th Sevilla, Spain – Territorios Festival
Sat Jun 2nd London, UK – Field Day Festival
Sun Jun 3rd Skopje, Macedonia – OFF Festival
Mon Jun 4th Zagreb, Croatia – Tvornica Kulture
Tue Jun 5th Munich, Germany – Feierwerk
Wed Jun 6th Zurich, Switzerland – Moods
Fri Jun 8th Hasselt, Belgium – Kunstencentrum Belgie
Sat Jun 9th Tenerife, Spain – Proximos Festival
Wed Jul 18th Molde, Norway – Teatret Vart
Fri Jul 20th Tonsberg, Norway – Slottsfjellet