User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info

Beacons Of Ancestorship
by
Beacons Of Ancestorship Image
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

  • Summary: The rock band releases its first album of new material since 2004's "It's All Around You."

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. musicOMH.com
    90
    Call it the fascinating intersection of jazz, lounge, prog and electro, if you must, but ultimately Tortoise produce music of the most valuable and enduring kind--beyond genres and labels, in a category all of its own.
  2. Drowned In Sound
    80
    Beacons Of Ancestorship is pretty much what the avid Tortoise fan would consider par for the course, in that its a veering cascade of inherent surprises that never fails to astound, amaze or disappoint.
  3. AllMusic
    80
    It can be incredibly difficult for an experimental group to continue experimenting for years on end without getting stale, but Tortoise achieve that balance effortlessly.
  4. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    Tortoise have made a welcome escape from the dusty ’90s indie crypt.
  5. Dusted Magazine
    70
    Rather than the longer, complex compositions, the four shortest tracks here are the most intriguing, as they compress Tortoise’s way of layering disparate ideas into brief, disorienting beatscapes.
  6. Alternative Press
    70
    A few throwaways aside, Beacons is a welcome kick in the tush. [Jul 2009, p.131]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Q Magazine
    40
    Sadly, their own sixth album lacks the drive of either Battles or Mogwai. [Aug 2009, p.113]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. ChrisS
    Jun 26, 2009
    9
    WTF. Yeah you should buy Sunn O)))'s album instead, because metacritic gave it a 10(!). There's nothing wrong with this album. If WTF. Yeah you should buy Sunn O)))'s album instead, because metacritic gave it a 10(!). There's nothing wrong with this album. If you want to buy a relaxing album this is your cue. I wish people would stop comparing every subsequent release to "millions....".… Expand
  2. RobertB
    Jun 28, 2009
    9
    Best since TNT. The first half of the disc is stunning.