Dave Chamberlain

So much has already been said about Tortoise, Chicago's undisputed royalty of indie rock. What's left to say?

With the release of its fifth and latest record, "It's All Around You" (Thrill Jockey) the members also celebrate more than a decade together as a band. Sure there have been numerous lineup changes--though the current group of Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Doug McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker has remained solid now for three records--though the band's focus on instrumental, left-field music amalgamation has never wavered.

But it's the evolution of Tortoise that pushes itself to the forefront. The band's first (self-titled) record, officially released in 1993, does not sound radically different than "It's All Around You," at least to the casual ear. But there are differences. And if you go back to the very beginning of the idea of Tortoise, there have been monumental shifts in direction. "The melodic focus of the band has shifted a little bit as we've evolved," explains founding member McCombs. "Really, when Tortoise started, we hadn't really thought beyond what we would do except for having two drummers and two bass players."

Try to imagine that as you listen to the band's most recent, especially on tracks like "Dot/Eyes," an avant-everything song with pulsing, multilayered rhythms, dubbed and washed-over effects and even snippets of samples--all of which builds to a massive, seemingly abrupt stop in the middle of its rise. Try to find the dual bass--much less the melody they might have carried ten years ago--and the frustration will build in tandem with the song.

In the early days of the band, the double-bass spearheaded the songwriting. "For that," says McCombs of the band's first record, "we had these bass lines that were kind of worked out. And we sat down together and worked them out further, went into the studio and played all the bass parts, and that was kind of like using the bass lines as a framework, and then slapping a bunch of shit on top of it and then try to sort out what works and what didn't."

But there's clearly been a change, both in the tangible result (like "Dot/Eyes") and the process that created it. "The most common way to work on stuff now," explains McCombs, "is to start with a really basic idea, a really undeveloped idea, so that all the exciting stuff can happen in the process of the collaboration. Whatever the most basic, earliest kernel of an idea is could be a rhythmic idea, a tiny piece of a melody, a riff, really anything. Then, based on the idea, we try to build it up into something that seems like a complete song."

If the evolution of Tortoise is marked less by drastic change and more by degree, than the day-to-day reality of the band has undergone two hard-hitting alterations since the release of their last record, "Standards," in 2001. First and foremost, the band lost its renowned live sound engineer and friend, Casey Rice, when he moved to Melbourne, Australia. For a band that relies on almost scientific or mathematical precision, that could have been devastating. "That was probably the thing I was worried most about," says McCombs. "It was a strange proposition to go out on the road without Casey after touring with him for ten years. Having him take such an interested and active part of mixing our sound, not to mention being our friend."

His replacement, however, is also an accomplished sound technician, Elliot Dicks, drummer for the Nerves and an ever-present figure behind virtually every sound board in Chicago for the past decade. "It was really hard to think about it," notes McCombs, "but I would have to say that Elliot is one of the only other people who I hold in as high as esteem as Casey. He has a different approach as far as mixing our sound, but he puts up really great results. That's a fear of mine that's really been taken care of."

The second issue Tortoise has recently dealt with is the inevitable specter of family; both Parker and Herndon have recently had children, making extensive forays around the globe less attractive and feasible. They solved the problem for now, says McCombs, by going on shorter tours, but more often, say three weeks on tour to a month off tour. It's an idea which may lead to a higher profile for the band. "We're trying to break the cycle," explains McCombs, "of touring for six months and then not touring for two years."

Of course, logic says that might not happen. The onset of children tends to, rightfully, take time away from careers, even artistic careers. Is it possible that Tortoise might, in the foreseeable future, become a studio-only band? "It's something that we haven't really discussed, but it's not likely," John McEntire responds. "At least for now."

Tortoise plays May 20 at the Metro. Beans and Pelican, who the band handpicked, open. The May 21 show has been canceled.

(2004-05-18)

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