This band swims the murky gulf between jazz and rock in search of fresh riffs. Entirely instrumental, the songs start with simple melodies that slowly make their way to climaxes full of overlapping rhythms that alternate between funky and mechanical. The Chicago quartet makes sure that the beat holds sway over melodic noodling; it's the percussion and keyboard textures that impress. Standards presents a slightly more guitar-heavy version of the usual Tortoise weirdness. These tunes are nothing like those to be found in a standards fake book. Is there a Grammy for Best Misnomer?
--By Benjamin Nugent
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