A Lazarus Taxon (Audio Version)

Tortoise, a five-piece "post-rock" band from Chicago, IL, were one of the most important alternative rock bands of the ‘90s, emphasizing the importance of rhythm and sonic textures while introducing indie kids to whole new worlds of sound. They were a revolutionary rock band in the way that My Bloody Valentine were circa Isn't Anything or even Miles Davis around the time of Bitches Brew, mixing technologies and sounds to free them from genre-restrictiveness. For an odds-and-sods set, Lazarus sounds remarkably cohesive, and is surprisingly listenable considering how experimental their music is. Elements of ambient, dub, krautrock, improv, math rock, hip-hop, and Cuban jazz are here. The out-of- print 1995 album Rhythms, Resolutions & Clusters, which many consider their finest moment, is here, as are various unreleased remixes (fitting, as they were among the first non-dance acts to explore the remix). Anyone can play "King of the Musical Thrift Store that Is The World," but few have ever done it with the taste-making, fascinating aplomb as these dudes.