Tortoise - 'Beacons Of Ancestorship' (Thrill Jockey) Released 22/06/09

15 years after the release of their debut, Tortoise are still flying the flag for post-rock, experimentation with their sixth full-length release, ‘Beacons of Ancestorship’ - the first new material from the group in five years. It’s always been difficult to pin Tortoise down as sounding like a particular group, or even to extract obvious influences. As stated in the press release, “they seem to have come into being with their musical identity and DNA fully formed”, which is wherein lies the problem.

Initial reactions to ‘Beacons’, is that the group are still doing what they do best - hypnotic, rhythmic, genre-blurring instrumentals. Drummer John McEntire remains the driving force behind the group - the main draw still being the innovative beats and impressive production. This is complimented by loose structured forays into electro, dub, jazz, punk and any other genre the group see fit to dabble in. It’s certainly an approach they have perfected over their 20 year career, but now also one that delivers an over-whelming feeling of familiarity.

Released in 1996, ‘Millions Now Living Will Never Die’ is still a seminal album of the post-rock movement. With no obvious ties to a particular genre or origin, Tortoise had managed to capture something adventurous and unique but also relatively accessible. Over time, the genre itself, born out of experimentation and the will to blend differing styles utilising a standard rock format, became saturated, growing stagnant and increasingly formulaic. It seems as though Tortoise has become a victim of its own success, a perfect example of the pitfalls of pioneering a new genre or sub-genre. The inimitable sound presented early in their career remains, but fails to generate the exhilaration it did a decade ago

This isn’t to say that ‘Beacons’ is dull, on the contrary, at times it’s a vivacious and engaging listen, from the minimalist, Shadows-esque meanderings of ‘The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One’ to the surprisingly up-tempo and uplifting ‘Prepare Your Coffin’, the album intrigues - unfortunately, that’s as far as it gets, intriguing, rather than absorbing. Try and ignore it, but a niggling sense of disappointment creeps in, the frustration of listening to a once ground-breaking group comfortably mine a niche they carved 15 years ago.

A solid effort - Tortoise remains unique, but Tortoise remains Tortoise.