First, we need to note that Tortoise releasing a record with anyone other than Thrill Jockey after a 30-plus-year relationship is a shocker for a group not known for dramatic changes. It’s akin to Autechre abandoning Warp! Anyway, the important thing about Tortoise is that their last two albums before the International Anthem/Nonesuch-reared Touch — 2009’s Beacons of Ancestorship and 2016’s The Catastrophist — have been among their most vital and inventive, an unusual trajectory for a group well into their fourth decade.
For all of their cred as post-rock pioneers, Tortoise at this point seems like a casual, part-time project — either that or they spend many meticulous years honing material for their records. But the truth is, all five members stay busy in…

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