Standards (Clear/White/Red Vinyl)

Released on 20 February 2001, Standards marked the Chicago ensemble’s fourth studio album and a subtle recalibration of their sound. Gone is the pristine studio sheen of prior records like TNT, in its place is a looser, more tactile energy. Produced by drummer and sonic architect John McEntire at Soma Electronic Music Studio, Standards embraces grit and imperfection without losing the band’s hallmark precision.

This is music that resists categorisation. Drawing from post-rock, experimental jazz, dub, Krautrock, and dusty electronics, Tortoise build compositions that breathe, stretch, and collide. The grooves are lopsided but locked in; synths hum like old machinery; vibraphones shimmer through murky depths. Every sound seems carefully misplaced. Tracks unravel and reform with purpose, each one a miniature ecosystem of texture and pulse.

Critics at the time were divided in the best way possible, some called it maddening, others meditative. But even the sceptics admitted its cohesion. Spin praised its originality, while Pitchfork declared it one of the band’s finest achievements. Two decades on, Standards still feels forward-thinking: a warm, warped collection of ideas stitched together by musicians unafraid to linger in liminal space.

This isn’t background music. It’s not quite jazz, not quite rock, not quite electronic, but it is undeniably Tortoise. And Standards stands as proof that no matter how far they drift from genre, they always land somewhere compelling.