Quote:
Originally Posted by clutnuckle
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for Slint. But Tortoise's actual style of using basslines as the music's focal point, to express the key aspects of each song, is a definitive impact on Mogwai's sound. It's not 'similar basslines', it's the exact same aesthetic. I never said the basslines sound the same, but in both Mogwai and Tortoise the bass represented a lot more than in other acts. It'd be only natural for Mogwai to pick up something off of other acts.
Tortoise's first album (1994) is where you hear the similarity at its peak, anyhow, far before Young Team was released. Also, Mogwai have mentioned Tortoise in various reviews, showing that they have had knowledge of their existence.
|
Well at least we can see it's debatable, eh?
Really though, the more I think about, you are probably more correct. I have to grant you back the benefit of doubt for Slint because for all I know, they were Mogwai's favorite band before they even picked up instruments. I don't really know much about Mogwai, biographically speaking.
And as for Tortoise, I do happen to remember that Mogwai were introduced to me by someone who described Young Team as 'Tortoise but heavier'. So, while I think Tortoise's bassist, Doug McCombs, is highly influential all over the indie-sphere, I'm sure he did indeed influence Mogwai.
For me, all of these bands came in kind of a lump so I have always thought of all three (Slint, Tortoise, Mogwai) as just parts of a general movement. Your historiography is probably more sound than mine.