Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Millions Now Living Will Never Die
A blue and grey cover depicting a school of fish.
Studio album by
Tortoise
Released January 30, 1996
Recorded June–September 1995
Studio
  • Idful Music Corporation (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Soma Electronic Music Studios (Chicago, Illinois)
Genre
Length 42:56
Label Thrill Jockey
Tortoise chronology
Rhythms, Resolutions & Clusters
(1995) 		Millions Now Living Will Never Die
(1996) 		TNT
(1998)
Singles from Millions Now Living Will Never Die
  1. "Djed"
    Released: 1996
  2. "The Taut and Tame"
    Released: 1996

Millions Now Living Will Never Die is the second studio album by American post-rock band Tortoise. The album was released on January 30, 1996 by Thrill Jockey.

The album's title is a reference to a phrase used in the Jehovah's Witness faith in the 1920s. It is, for instance, the title of an essay by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who was the second president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. By March 1998, the album had sold over 50,000 copies, with 80% as CDs and the remainder as LPs.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic
Alternative Press 5/5
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
NME 8/10
Orlando Sentinel
Record Collector
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Spin 7/10
Uncut 9/10
The Village Voice B−

Millions Now Living Will Never Die was released to positive critical reviews, and it has since been renowned as a groundbreaking album for the post-rock genre. Outersound wrote that not long after the album's release, the group was "hailed as godfathers of the American 'post-rock' movement". The Wire named it the record of the year in its annual critics' poll and NME named it the 35th best album of 1996.

In 2006 and 2008, Millions Now Living Will Never Die was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back concert series. The album also appears in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tortoise (Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire and David Pajo), except where noted

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Djed"   20:57
2. "Glass Museum"   5:27
3. "A Survey"   2:52
4. "The Taut and Tame"
5:01
5. "Dear Grandma and Grandpa"   2:49
6. "Along the Banks of Rivers"   5:50
Total length: 42:56
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No. Title Length
7. "Gamera" 11:55
8. "Goriri" 6:39
9. "Restless Waters" 3:41
Total length: 65:11
2001 reissue Japanese edition bonus track
No. Title Length
10. "A Grape Dope" 4:12
Total length: 69:23

Personnel

Credits for Millions Now Living Will Never Die adapted from album liner notes.

Tortoise

Production

  • John McEntire – mixing, recording
  • Roger Seibel – mastering

Artwork and design

  • Dan Osborn – layout assistance, "computer magic"
  • Tortoise – sleeve design

Samples

The song "Dear Grandma and Grandpa" contains a sample of German band Dom's song "Silence", from their 1972 album Edge of Time.

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC) 115