Speaking of John McEntire, now’s a good time to mention A Lazarus Taxon, the Tortoise box set out on Tuesday. TNT has the distinction of being the only album I’ve ever bought after listening to three thirty second sound samples on Amazon (silly old-school Internet!). I became enthralled with the band’s complex and mesmerizing instrumental avante jazz/rock and purchased a dozen albums from Thrill Jockey’s back catalog. Can’t say I listen to much Trans Am these days, but I dig all the Tortoisemen’s side-projects and, even at 20 minutes, “DJed” is always welcome on my iPod.

If you’re a huge Tortoisehead, you’ve probably already shelled out for Japanese imports and whatnot. But casual fans will delight in Lazarus‘s inclusion of the out-of-print 1995 album Rhythms, Resolutions & Clusters and innovative remixes from like-minded visionaries including Jim O’Rourke, Steve Albini, and Mike Watt.

Here’s the tracklist. (The collection also comes with a DVD of music videos and rare performance footage.)

Disc 1
1. Gamera
2. The Source of Uncertainty
3. Blackbird
4. Sexual For Elizabeth
5. To Day Retreival
6. Whitewater
7. Didjeridoo
8. Autumn Sweater
9. Wait
10. A Grape Dope
11. Restless Waters
12. Vaus
13. Blue Station

Disc 2
1. Madison Area
2. TNT (Takemura Remix)
3. Why We Fight
4. Elmerson, Lincoln, and Palmieri
5. Peering
6. Goriri
7. As You Said
8. CTA
9. Deltitnu
10. Adverse Camber
11. Cliff Dweller Society
12. Waihopai

Disc 3
1. Alcohall
2. Your New Rod
3. Cobwebbed
4. The Match Incident
5. Tin Can (Puerto Rican Mix)
6. Not Quite East of Ryan
7. Initial Gesture Protraction
8. Cornpone Brunch Watt Remix

In case you don’t have it on red vinyl, Thrill Jockey was kind enough to let Stereogum give the sprawling first track to you.

• Tortoise – “Gamera”Download

Congrats Tortoise. Twelve more years!