Tortoises do-no-wrong credibility looms monolithic in the indie rock pantheon like a Giza pyramid. In the early 90s, the band began playing instrumental music that simultaneously established and shattered the paradigm we’ve come to recognize as “indie rock.” With its unorthodox, percussion-heavy instrumentation and modernist focus on production, Tortoise manages to convey a sense of intellectual grandiosity and distance without uttering a single word. And the lack of vocals doesnt mean their live shows arent worth seeing. On the contrary, the fact that Tortoise remains so heavily anchored in a particular aesthetic only adds the band’s strangely timeless appeal. With Das Boton. SABY REYES-KULKARNI
Tue., June 8, 8 p.m., 2010
