For the uninitiated: Tortoise is a group of five Chicagoans that plays music that is a mixture of jazz, lounge, math rock and genres so obscure that I don’t even know the names of them. They are in large part instrumental, bringing in vocals for the first time on “It’s All Around You” to provide background ambiance on “Crest.”

-If you’re looking for music that will add a distinguished drama to your life, Tortoise is the band you want playing in the background. Its songs are not soundtrack-style soundscapes and don’t have epic string sections, but they do seem to rest comfortably in the background of your life.

The songs are soothingly funky and deceivingly complex at times, spiraling into complex chord progressions that only get confusing if you’re trying to play along.

Tortoise is a great band to play when you’re driving, cooking, studying or after the party is starting to die down.

For the initiated: “It’s All Around You” finds Tortoise moving slightly backward after its last album “Standards.” Tortoise is shifting back toward the more complex melodies that dominated “TNT” and away from the over-processed bursts and flutters of “Standards.” Where “TNT” fell a little short with songs that bordered on too complex, “It’s All Around You” comes to the point, finding its roots in each song.

John McEntire’s producer/drummer credit deserves mention. McEntire’s drumming has taken more of a back seat on the newest album. Yet, he seems to be finding his niche as a producer, knowing when to hold back on the effects.

The band that has defined the Chicago sound for the past 10 years has not compromised with its newest album but instead has found a way to work in all its ideas from previous albums to create another beautiful and intelligent Tortoise album.