Hello! It appears as though I am your guide through the N&G AotM for June of 2020. I must state up front that this is all a bit daunting to me, but I will do my best to remain as present and accountable as I can here. The past few months have been a challenge to say the least. I'm sure you can all relate on different levels. When I threw my hat into the ring to do this back in the infancy of these forums, I already knew what my choice would be should I be given the opportunity to do this. I think the timing is apt for this album. Is that a clue? I dunno. Maybe. It just feels right in an odd way though. Some of you are certainly already familiar, but I suspect many of you may not be. I won't let myself ramble too far down that path just yet though. It's only May 1 after all!
I will be providing a free copy of the album to the first person to make a correct guess. I have also made contact in an effort to schedule an AMA, but nothing is in stone on that front at this time. Regardless, I hope that I can live up to the level of our past thread runners and selections and that this will be an album that most of you will appreciate as much as I do.
The pick for June 2020 is Tortoise - TNT!
BUY IT HERE:
http://thrilljockey.com/products/tnt
I have the clear hi-melt variant and it is wonderful aesthetically and acoustically.
I've been advised (thanks @panino !) that EU orders should have (or will shortly be) shipped affordably again. I guess they were moving offices from the UK to Berlin recently and temporarily shut down EU shipping. Otherwise, I believe Juno had some stock or your locals may be able to get it in for you.
WHY TNT?
This album came out when I was 20. In an experience that is still largely familiar today, I was in my local record shop (though I exclusively bought CDs back then) perusing and came across the intriguing album cover of TNT. I asked the owner if he would throw it on so I could hear a bit and he obliged. I was hooked almost instantly, made the purchase, and walked back across the street to my apartment to have a proper listen. I don’t remember a lot other than enjoying that initial listen. The album would fully stick a night or two later.
I lived in an apartment with a few friends I had known since high school. We got up to the usual shenanigans for a group of friends, some of whom had recently crossed the 21-year threshold and were hell bent on recreating some sort of Beat Generation on the college streets of Orono, Maine. We mostly worked meaningless jobs during the day and thought we were solving the world's problems by night, primarily fueled by cheap beer and the highest quality weed we could score. One night a few days after coming across TNT, we all piled into our friend’s Pathfinder and drove aimlessly. This wasn’t uncommon and the driver was always sober. We ended up on the coast after an hour or so. This was March in Maine and it was blisteringly cold. We had a lot of snow that winter and I remember getting out of the car and hearing the ocean but seeing nothing but an expanse of white snowpack leading into the black. Without a word, I just started walking toward the ocean. I wanted to catch a shadowed glimpse of the waves rolling in, but it was pitch dark. I walked on. The sound of the rolling water got louder, but I still couldn’t see much of anything. I heard a crack and in an instant I was chest deep in what to this day is the coldest water I have ever felt. It took every bit of air out of me and my muscles seized. I couldn’t even bring myself to yell for help. I just turned around and started making my way slowly back the way I’d come except the snow and ice were parting to let me trudge out. I stumbled my way back to my friends and managed to explain briefly that I had fallen into the ocean and was freezing. Acting quickly, they got me into the back end of the SUV, stripped off my clothes, covered me with their jackets, and blasted the heat. We made our way back home. A friend found my portable CD player, which I never went anywhere without. He placed the headphones on my ears and pressed play. TNT washed over me and little by little my body stopped shaking and I found myself in a serene and peaceful place.
I won’t go so far as to say I had a spiritual experience that night, but it was a special one. From that day forward this album has always had a place in my life. To me it’s a soundtrack of peace in times of uncertainty or fear. It has the power to transport me out of anything and quiet my mind. For years after my near-hypothermic experience I fell asleep to it every night.
I was diagnosed with panic disorder later in my life, something that, looking back, I clearly suffered from as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until I had a full blown panic attack for the first time in my early 30s that I sought any sort of help. Looking back, TNT was always what I picked up when I felt those needles pricking at my brain, that sense of unease that was sure to trigger racing thoughts and restlessness. It didn’t always have the power to stop it, but it never failed to calm me, even if only a little bit. It has remained a sort of auditory security blanket for me to this day and I am grateful to have had the chance to share it and a bit of this backstory with all of you.
I will be providing a free copy of the album to the first person to make a correct guess. I have also made contact in an effort to schedule an AMA, but nothing is in stone on that front at this time. Regardless, I hope that I can live up to the level of our past thread runners and selections and that this will be an album that most of you will appreciate as much as I do.
The pick for June 2020 is Tortoise - TNT!
BUY IT HERE:
http://thrilljockey.com/products/tnt
I have the clear hi-melt variant and it is wonderful aesthetically and acoustically.
I've been advised (thanks @panino !) that EU orders should have (or will shortly be) shipped affordably again. I guess they were moving offices from the UK to Berlin recently and temporarily shut down EU shipping. Otherwise, I believe Juno had some stock or your locals may be able to get it in for you.
WHY TNT?
This album came out when I was 20. In an experience that is still largely familiar today, I was in my local record shop (though I exclusively bought CDs back then) perusing and came across the intriguing album cover of TNT. I asked the owner if he would throw it on so I could hear a bit and he obliged. I was hooked almost instantly, made the purchase, and walked back across the street to my apartment to have a proper listen. I don’t remember a lot other than enjoying that initial listen. The album would fully stick a night or two later.
I lived in an apartment with a few friends I had known since high school. We got up to the usual shenanigans for a group of friends, some of whom had recently crossed the 21-year threshold and were hell bent on recreating some sort of Beat Generation on the college streets of Orono, Maine. We mostly worked meaningless jobs during the day and thought we were solving the world's problems by night, primarily fueled by cheap beer and the highest quality weed we could score. One night a few days after coming across TNT, we all piled into our friend’s Pathfinder and drove aimlessly. This wasn’t uncommon and the driver was always sober. We ended up on the coast after an hour or so. This was March in Maine and it was blisteringly cold. We had a lot of snow that winter and I remember getting out of the car and hearing the ocean but seeing nothing but an expanse of white snowpack leading into the black. Without a word, I just started walking toward the ocean. I wanted to catch a shadowed glimpse of the waves rolling in, but it was pitch dark. I walked on. The sound of the rolling water got louder, but I still couldn’t see much of anything. I heard a crack and in an instant I was chest deep in what to this day is the coldest water I have ever felt. It took every bit of air out of me and my muscles seized. I couldn’t even bring myself to yell for help. I just turned around and started making my way slowly back the way I’d come except the snow and ice were parting to let me trudge out. I stumbled my way back to my friends and managed to explain briefly that I had fallen into the ocean and was freezing. Acting quickly, they got me into the back end of the SUV, stripped off my clothes, covered me with their jackets, and blasted the heat. We made our way back home. A friend found my portable CD player, which I never went anywhere without. He placed the headphones on my ears and pressed play. TNT washed over me and little by little my body stopped shaking and I found myself in a serene and peaceful place.
I won’t go so far as to say I had a spiritual experience that night, but it was a special one. From that day forward this album has always had a place in my life. To me it’s a soundtrack of peace in times of uncertainty or fear. It has the power to transport me out of anything and quiet my mind. For years after my near-hypothermic experience I fell asleep to it every night.
I was diagnosed with panic disorder later in my life, something that, looking back, I clearly suffered from as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until I had a full blown panic attack for the first time in my early 30s that I sought any sort of help. Looking back, TNT was always what I picked up when I felt those needles pricking at my brain, that sense of unease that was sure to trigger racing thoughts and restlessness. It didn’t always have the power to stop it, but it never failed to calm me, even if only a little bit. It has remained a sort of auditory security blanket for me to this day and I am grateful to have had the chance to share it and a bit of this backstory with all of you.
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