Influential instro-rocker Tortoise dons a moniker fittingly relative to the rabbit-speed attention span of indie rock. Things have changed since the group's late-'90s heyday as a post-rock-kingpin act, when its cerebral, vibes-and-drum-heavy stew tastefully steered underground rock into the unprotected waters of jazz, dub, electronica, worldy rhythms — all with top-notch musicianship. Fortunately or not, modern-day hipsters want to dance, and they aren't as willing as their older brethren to be hypnotized into place by arty soundscapes. But Tortoise was never a sleepy museum piece. On its new LP, Beacons of Ancestorship, its first in five years, the five-piece gang of studio rats amps the more visceral edges of its aesthetic, proving — with jagged synths, fuzzed guitar and epic beats — that Tortoise can still rattle your bones with big ideas.
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