Tortoise Announces New Album & Tour Dates

Today is a great day for fans of Chicago instrumental act Tortoise, as the band has not only announced the upcoming release of their first album since 2009 but also an accompanying tour in support. The Catastrophist is due January 22 via Thrill Jockey.

The Catastrophist is an 11-track affair featuring vocals from Todd Rittman on a cover of David Essex’s ’70s classic “Rock On” and from Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo on “Yonder Blue.” Tortoise’s new LP was birthed from the suite they created after they were commissioned to compose music honoring the city of Chicago in 2010. “When we finally got around to talking about a new record, the obvious solution to begin with was to take those pieces and see what else we could do with them,” drummer John McEntire said in a press release announcing the album. “It turned out that for them to work for Tortoise, they needed a bit more of a rethink in terms of structure. They’re all pretty different in the sense that at first, they were just heads and solos. Now, they’re orchestrated and complex.”

Listen to “Gesceap” from the new Tortoise album The Catastrophist:

Tortoise kick off an extensive tour of both Europe and North America with a hometown show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall on January 23, one day after The Catastrophist’s release. The tour extends through late March.

[via Rolling Stone]