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Tortoise, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1990, was one of the first American indie rock bands to incorporate styles closer to Krautrock, free jazz, minimalism, and electronica rather than the standard rock and roll and punk that had dominated indie rock for years. Led by John McEntire (drums and producer), Tortoise also consists of Doug McCombs (bass), John Herndon (drums, keyboard, vibes), Bundy K. Brown (guitar, who left in 1995), Dan Bitney (percussion), David Pajo (guitar, left in 1998), and Jeff Parker (guitar).
Given that it is instrumental, Tortoise's music has always been surprisingly approachable. Its first album, Tortoise, was a sign of things to come. In 1996, Tortoise released their most widely acclaimed album, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, an album that blended many genres. In 1998, it released TNT, Tortoise's most jazz-inflected album. 2001 led to Standards, where Tortoise incorporated more electronic sounds and post-production into its music than in previous works.
Some have cited Tortoise as being one of the prime forces behind the development and popularity of the so-called "post-rock" movement, however others have criticized Tortoise's music as being derivative of progressive rock and claim that Tortoise will never have a long-standing influence on rock music. Other groups related to Tortoise include The Sea and Cake, Brokeback, Shrimp Boat, Isotope 217 and the Chicago Underground Duo. Tortoise records on the Thrill Jockey label.