I Set My Face to the Hillside

Tortoise - I Set My Face to the Hillside (YouTube)

Last year, I bought TNT by Tortoise on CD from a Discogs seller.¹ I should tell you, this sort of activity is as sure a sign of my devotion to a particular album as any. After all, I’ve got access to high-quality digital copies of albums like this through streaming. I don’t need to seek them out on an online marketplace, where, let’s face it, you don’t always know the quality of the merchandise.²

I like to have physical copies of my favorite albums, though, for multiple reasons. TNT fits in that category. My wife asked what kind of music Tortoise was, and well, that’s a good question. The most common answer would be post-rock, but that seems a bit limiting.

On “I Set My Face to the Hillside,” from TNT, the band adds a bit of Western influence to their spare jazz. The negative space in the song emphasizes the quiet and reflective instrumentation. Guitar lines have plenty of room to breathe like every expression has been carefully contemplated. This live video, while giving the viewer some strange angles, emphasizes the intricate dynamic between the members of the band. It’s a dynamic that underscores the cohesion that makes such expressive instrumental music possible.

Via Opus

1. I also own a copy on snow white vinyl. ↩︎
2. I bought a Pizzicato Five CD a couple of years ago that was listed as very good condition but looked like it had bong water spilled on it, which I doubt happened in transit. ↩︎