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).
Tortoise's music has always been surprisingly approachable. Its first album, Tortoise, was a sign of things to come. In 1996, Tortoise released their masterwork, Millions Now Living Will Never Die[?], an album that blended many genres to excellent effect. 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 ever before.
Other groups related to Tortoise include The Sea and Cake[?], Brokeback[?], Shrimp Boat[?], and Isotope 217[?]. Tortoise records on the Thrill Jockey[?] label.