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The Tortoise combo seems to commune with the infrequency of blue moons, with Standards coming a full three years after their last longplayer TNT. And despite their continued dalliances with Chicago's moist jazz history in the interim, the record commences with a blistering, boogie-rock-band-warming-up-onstage opening. Despite a misleading amount of rock-like instrumentation, this defines the album's subsequent demeanor. As a longplayer it's almost reminiscent of Tortoise's self-titled debut, working with a much more broad, determined range of dynamics. It's a solid return to Tortoise's shell, a withdrawal into internal environs and intra-sound discussion on the dialogue the band's players develop; the only obvious goal seems to be shorter, more direct songs, delivered with more straightforward demeanor. Thus the songs are more sonically complex while, perhaps, more musically simple; thickly-laid sounds create a shimmering multi-layered mix in which sounds rise and fall via natural measures. Whether Standards is an intelligent triumph, a subtle shift on a familiar theme, a fake-experimental outing of chopped-up chops, or more of that beautiful aural wallpaper — well, that's for each human's ears to decide.
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