This collaboration was written and recorded in a 48-hour period in 1998 as part of Dutch label Konkurrent's In the Fishtank series. I'm not too familiar with the Ex, but I understand them to be hyper-political band from Holland of, I believe, either anarchist or Marxist orientation. Oh, and they rock. This alone makes the pairing with Tortoise-- who seem to be getting colder, slicker and quieter with each album-- a little odd. But the alliance, though strange and probably pointless in the long run, does make for a relatively intriguing listen.

"The Lawn of the Limp," an abrasive instrumental in which we get to hear the members of Tortoise rocking out with something approaching balls, opens the record. Here, as on the bulk of the EP, it seems as though the Ex side of the equation presides. Ditto for "Pooh Song," a screaming rant with some real bite that's impossible to imagine on a Tortoise album. And the truly bizarre "Central Heating" has what sounds like a muted Miles Davis solo being annihilated by brutally heavy guitars. This spread is crunchy, not smooth.

"Pleasure As Usual," on the other hand, is more in the traditional Windy City vein, with a throbbing bass and plenty of space; in fact, it bears a strong resemblance those early Tortoise 7"s that had vocals and sounded like Slint. Likewise, "Huge Hidden Spaces" begins with some DJ-ish tape manipulation, and generally meanders in a more pleasing ambient vein. Overall, this is something I imagine Ex fans will dig a little more heavily; but truthfully, I doubt even they won't be throwing it on five years from now. Well, what did you expect from two days of fucking around in the studio?

-Mark Richard-San