Pitchfork

I listened with eyes closed and headphones. Three minutes into the second track, "Swung From the Gutters," a tornado ripped the roof off my house. The guitars, drums, synthesizers, and xylophones around my head were sucked up into a whirl. Cast me into the final scene of "Twister," my body (now tethered by headphone cables) was making a 60-degree angle to my carpet, feet waving in the air, socks slowly slipping off. Guitars whooshed past my ears at 200 mph. I almost lost my head. When I opened my eyes, I expected to better relate to Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" when the witch, bike, cow, etc. whirled around her. Nah. I was just slumped against the headboard with my feet asleep. "Wow. What amazing production techniques."

John McEntire knows how to craft sound. His amazing work with the Sea and Cake and Stereolab is reflected and perfected on TNT, the most cohesive, song-oriented, and groovy Tortoise release to date. New guitarist Jeff Parker blends in his clean single-note melodies seamlessly, and helps take Tortoise back to a surprisingly more rock-based structure. TNT evokes images of barren medieval Japanese snowscapes, dimly-lit Chicago clubs, Italian coastal sunsets, and deserted space stations. At its worst times, TNT comes dangerously close to Sade instrumentals, but it more than makes up for its occasional melancholy with moments of sonic frontiers-- melting drum loops, undulating bass, squishy blurts, and the aforementioned tornado moment.

Now, if I may: the perfect time, date, and place for each song on the record:

Track 1: 8:47 PM, April 14th, 1998, on a 777 red-eye to visit your lover.
Track 2: 3:16 AM, October 17th, 2020, Kansas.
Track 3: 9:00 AM, January 3rd, 1659, Kyoto, Japan.
Track 4: 7:40 PM, July 3th, 1964, floating on a Venetian canal.
Track 5: 10:01 AM, March 3rd, 2357, the dentist's office.
Track 6: 5:00 AM, May 18th, 1994, on a deck, Beverly Hills, overlooking L.A.
Track 7: 2:15 PM, October 12th, 1997, the penguin tank, Chicago Aquarium.
Track 8: 1:00 PM, June 19th, 2012, mini-sub, one mile below the South China Sea.
Track 9: 5:20 PM, September 21st, 1978, Spain.
Track 10: 11:20 PM, July 3rd, 3049, The Amazon.
Track 11: 2:49 PM, July 3rd, 3049, smoking lounge, deck 12, US Starship "Reagan."
Track 12: 1:06 AM, April 21st, 1998, crashing, sinking in the ocean, on a 777 red-eye home after visiting your lover.

TNT while never living up to its explosive moniker, is nevertheless a hang-glide ride through modern post-rock-- jazz, indie-rock, subtle techno, funk, and international flavors whipped together into a creamy treat, served over your always hungry ears. And while its instrumental meandering is not for everyone, TNT ranks, in my book, as one of the top LPs of 1998 so far. Call it (qu)easy listening. At the very least just listen to it for the cool sound effects.