Spiderland
Slint
1991
Album Summary
Spiderland is the second and final studio album by the American rock band Slint. It contains six songs played over 40 minutes, and was released by Touch and Go Records on March 27, 1991. Slint's lineup at the time of recording comprised Brian McMahan on vocals and guitar, David Pajo on guitar, Todd Brashear on bass guitar and Britt Walford on drums. Spiderland was engineered by Brian Paulson and recorded over four days in August 1990. The music and vocal melodies were composed throughout the summer of 1990, while lyrics were written in-studio. Forming in 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky, Slint had met as teenagers playing in the Midwestern punk scene but soon diverged sonically from their hardcore roots. By the time they recorded Spiderland in late 1990, the band had developed a complex, idiosyncratic sound characterized by atypical rhythmic meters, harmonic dissonance and irregular song structures. McMahan's vocal delivery on the record alternates between spoken word, singing and shouting. The lyrics are presented in a narrative style and cover themes such as unease, social anxiety, loneliness, and despair. Slint broke up shortly before the album's release. In the US, Spiderland initially attracted little critical attention and sold poorly. However, a warm reception from UK music papers and gradually increasing sales in subsequent years helped it develop a significant cult following. Spiderland is widely regarded as foundational to the 1990s post-rock and math rock movements, and is cited by critics as a milestone of indie and experimental rock, inspiring a myriad of subsequent artists. Slint reunited in 2005 to perform the album in its entirety across three international tours.
WikipediaI had never heard of this album before today, though the album cover looks vaguely familiar. It has that strange "more than the sum of its parts" feeling that a lot of great albums that come out of nowhere have. It certainly presages a lot of the music that will come after it. A lot of what made Slanted and Enchanted feel unique is also present here. It develops so slowly, appropriately like a spider crawling across the wall. The lyrics are dark, but not maudlin. Nothing feels overdone. There's this tension that hangs over the album that, like most aspects of this album, is very hard to define. Halfway through, it feels like the album is just getting started. When it ends, I feel like there should be so much more, but I'm not disappointed. Timeless. 5/5
If Slint's debut, 1989's Tweez, was one of the earliest salvos in what came to be known as post-rock, their second album, 1991's Spiderland was where the band pushed their most radical ideas forward and created a touchstone, working with dynamics that made the silences every bit as much presence as the guitars and drums, manipulating space and time as they stretched out and juggled time signatures, and conjuring melodies that were as sparse and fragmented as they were beautiful.
I’ve listened to it twice and I still have no idea if I like it or not.
They're like a grungier american radiohead -- almost touching on this this mythical 'chatterfolk' genre I tried to invent. This album (and band) is amazing - reminds me of getting stoned in high school late at night and watching skate videos and shitposting on Slap Magazine's forums.
I feel like there is music that music theorists love that I just don’t get and this album is it.
Oh, man. The sound of this album sends me way back. I was in an indie band once and the main guitarist absolutely LOVED this album which had a huge impact on the songs he wrote. Weird time signatures, amusical vocals, mid-song shifts in tone... all so familiar. David used the word "pretentious" to describe this album and it's 100% on point. While that band stretched me musically, I didn't actually enjoy the music we made. Nor do I enjoy this album. It almost got 2 stars anyway because the punk roots are strong... but every song is AT LEAST a minute too long and I can't abide bands who don't know when to shut up.
I love this album. It's so bizarre, even a little creepy at times with the unsettling atmosphere created by the spoken word lyrics and off-kilter melodies, but it's an amazing experience overall. The quiet-loud dynamics carry such a powerful punch, my favourite example being in 'Good Morning, Captain'.
I've heard this once or twice in the past, but it was good to give it a couple of listens with more attention. Super influential on a bunch of the genres that make up post-rock, you gotta love that quite/LOUD dynamic. I was already thinking 4 stars, but an extra listen or two, including all the demos, has pushed me up to 5. Fave track - maybe "Don, Aman", maybe "Good Morning, Captain". Kinda feel like I want to listen to this album while reading the lyrics, which is not something I experience very often!
SPIDERLAND is one of those albums that’s been with me for so long it’s like it’s woven itself into my musical DNA (and maybe even my sense of self). It’s hard for me to review objectively, and I’m not even really going to try. While some of the lyrics are (as noted by at least one other reviewer here) kinda cringeworthy, so much of the album of so good - the soft-loud dynamics, the use of interesting time signatures, the energy at the album’s high points - that I’m more than willing to give them a pass.
Highly influential post rock. Filled with tension and proper moody. Just brilliant!
This album was fantastic. Moody, beautiful, unsettling compositions, evocative of early Black Sabbath and Sonic Youth. There is a tension to this sound you could cut with a knife, a sense of real foreboding lurking in every song. The subject matter of the songs speaks a great deal of alienation, social awkwardness, despair. "Nosferatu Man" seems a little out of place thematically, but most of the other characters feel very grounded in reality and emotionally authentic. It's a shame the band didn't create more music after this. Favorite songs: Breadcrumb Trail; Don, Aman; Good Morning, Captain
I had never heard Spiderland and on first listen it seems a pretentious affair - especially the iTunes version with 15 minutes of field noises from the quarry the cover image was taken at - but it starts to grow on you with repeated listens as a moody, dramatic, menacing soundscape. There’s no real theme, the lyrics offer us no clue, the spoken word isn’t even poetry and yet there’s something compelling here. What the band were done playing these proto-Radiohead/Mogwai tracks in 1991 is anyone’s guess. Four stars for now but I could see it getting five with repeated listens.
uhhhhhhhh. This is very much Dan Hart music. roomy, heavy, weird. Don, Aman is a great, unnerving ride of a song. Good Morning, Captain feels so weird and strange. like walking through swamps with muddy boots
I really don't like looking at the cover. These guys make me nervous. I don't trust 'em for some reason. I really didn't like this the first time through and liked it even less the second time through. Couldn't really distinguish from track to track, lyrics are more speaky and shouty than singy, nothing really to grab onto. But I kind of got into the groove of it the third time through and really enjoyed Breadcrumb Trail, Washer, and Good Morning, Captain. If I were a different person, I can imagine listening to this late at night in a low-key hang with friends. But my friends and I are old and that would be past our bedtimes.
Thought this was going to be too weird on the first listen through, but actually it's the right amount of weird.
Incredible album. Obvious influence for Godspeed, mewithoutyou, etc... Post-hardcore.
Really like their combination of spoken word and singing and the quiet loud dynamics.
Holy #$$&@! Awesome album - stripped-down pre-grunge, I'd call it - be willing to bet Nirvana had heard them as they were becoming Nirvana
Loved it, hooked me from start to finish. Dissonant and odd. Apparently the granddaddy of the Math Rock and Post Rock genres which I'm a fan of so no surprise I enjoyed it
Muziek met meerdere complexe ritmes, en post-rock uit de beginjaren. Het eerste nummer knapte ik wat af op de vocals, maar bij de rest waren de gesproken lyrics meer op hun plaats. Een ontdekking!
Brilliant album - ground breaking when it was first released and it more than stands the test of time. The influences are apparent but it is what is done with those influences which makes this such a special album.
amaaai wat een ontdekking! I love this. lekker donker sfeertje. 100% iets dat ik vaker ga opzetten. Een band met 1 (2) albums, nooit getourt met dit album, kleine initiele lp release..groot geworden door word of mouth (cult classic) . De documentaire staat op youtube, maar mooiste is om de mystiek te laten en de muziek te laten spreken.
Like a friend said. A sonic snuff film, in the best possible way. All jokes aside, really good instrumentation, and the meandering spoken word really works.
One of my all time favorites and I won't pretend not to be biased. a billion words by a quarter million hipster music writers have said just about everything that can be said about it, so I'll just say it gets better every time I hear it and I listened to it 5 times since last night.
Truth be told, I wasn't really feeling Slint's vocalist at first; he came off like if the dude from Cake needed someone to talk to. He eventually won me over big time, though, because as the album went on I found his intense, expository drone to be a fitting companion to the music and a crucial piece of the simmering tension that builds up through the entirety of the album. There's a thick layer of unease found all throughout Spiderland, and it pays off in spades, as the most cathartic moment in any of the music this website's thrown my way so far is easily the incredible closing minute of Good Morning, Captain, where everything finally boils over. There are tracks on here that I wouldn't really listen to on their own, but I see myself listening to Spiderland start-to-finish plenty more times in the future. Key Tracks: Breadcrumb Trail, Don, Aman, Good Morning, Captain
After the first two songs I was unsure how to feel about this. It was interesting and unique, I was surprised these lyrics were coming from these young guys, but I wasn’t totally into it. “Don, Aman” changed that. I really liked it. Then “Washer” absolutely blew me away. Really beautiful surprise. This song is incredible. I liked “For Dinner…” a lot. Then “Good Morning, Captain” closed the album with a stunningly good song. This is dark, moody, introspective with widely varying dynamics. It also helps to focus on the lyrics. On subsequent listens, the first two songs still haven’t really connected with me. But those last four songs are really remarkable and I keep thinking about them. Spiderland leaves me feeling haunted.
Really cool album. You either love or hate it -- and I love it. Some incredible guitar riffs and drum work. 9-10/10 1. Nosferatu Man 2. Breadcrumb Trail 3. Good Morning, Captain
Half the albums I love probably wouldn't exist without this album. Even setting that aside, it just rocks.
Wow! I LOVE this! I'm not very familiar with post-rock, post-hardcore and math rock but I hear this bands influence on alternative rock. The spoken word and rhythms remind me of Nada Surf. This is definitely my first 5 star album.
One of those cult albums Iv heard of but never got round to listening to. Can see what a big influence this album had on bands like Mogawi, feels like it invented the whole post rock genre. A brilliant atmospheric masterpiece that takes a few listens to really get, but keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through.
Prachtig hoe divers de reacties op dit album zijn! :-) Ik vind het echt ge-wel-dig! Een van de beste albums die ik ken. Echt heel bijzonder en het raakt me elke keer weer vol op mn harses als ik deze plaat luister. Bril-jant! En zoals Nieke al zei heb ik om mijn bewondering voor deze band te tonen zelfs een t-shirt! :-)
Post-punk, post-rock, post-hardcore, shoegaze... they might be different, but it feels like they lie next to each other together in one messy spiderweb-y mass. I've never been a fan of these kinds of music, they often feel like something beyond boredom. The void lack of attention so solid it gives me a headache. But this one, this one blew my mind. With just six songs and a runtime of barely 40 minutes (in contrast to the 70 minute epic, "Peggy Suicide" for example), it managed to create a sensation of being trapped in a gigantic cave. It has the woosh and the otherworldly licks that seems to stretch through time, but without sounding like a tv static. I also love how they used dynamics (loud/soft parts) to paint their greyscale sound. In short, it's not boring, it's awesome. Perhaps I liked it because it's more basic than it's peers, but nonetheless, it's a rare gem of post-something music.
I have no idea why I haven't heard this before!? It's really really good. I will be listening to it a lot in the future. Really enjoyed the tension, the dark atmosphere and the spoken lyrics. The album feels like he's on the brink of breaking down all the way through and the tension is finally released in a Wagnerian manner with the screamed "I miss you" at the end of the last song "Good Morning, Captain".
So good. Early post-rock, vocally reminiscent of the LOUD-quiet-LOUD technique of The Pixes. Lyrically dark, touching on depression, alienation and abandonment. Hard to pick standouts, but loved Breadcrumb Trail; Don, Aman; and Good Morning, Captain. Breathtaking album that spawned a thousand others.
The mythical beast that is Slint's Spiderland. An album that initially sold about 5,000 records but went on to inspire a generation. How very Velvet Underground of you. I find it really hard to judge an album like this. The genre it kick started is now so common place that Sigur Ros and their ilk are regularly played as background music on daytime BBC TV, but this must have sounded like it came from another planet upon its release. On paper this is pretty much my perfect album but there is something indefinable about it that just doesn't grab me as much as a lot of the post-rock that followed in its wake. It's still very, very good but I'm not sure if I am judging it entirely on the music or the myth or the legacy or a bit of everything. But fuck it, it is getting a 5.
I wash my face in a bowl of warm piss each morning. It makes me feel invigorated and helps me focus my mind for the upcoming day of sexual abuse I will suffer. I listen to Spiderland when I get home. I'm sore and tired. It helps me process the cruel things those women do to me. I eat apples and try to block out the nightmares with thoughts of hardcore pornography. Today I win.
Otroligt bra skiva, nästan i en klass för sig. Jag tror inte jag någonsin känt genuin (fast nog rätt mild) ångest av musik, men i natt gjorde jag det, av Don Aman. Det jag tror att gör skivan så speciell är att allting känns som en kombination av att det är på sned, något saknas, spelandet känns mekaniskt och iskallt, som att det alltid håller tillbaka. Den lyckas undvika kliché, samtidigt som alla låtar är väldigt enkla att förstå sig på, alla lyrics slående, musiken med båda fötterna på jorden.
The importance and/or appeal of this album might be lost on those not familiar with the style of music this band occupied and inspired further. Being an avid fan post-rock and post-hardcore, this album is comparable in influence with something like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Also, brilliant music
The proper definition of a cult band. The songs tell strange tales of isolation, fairgrounds and other things that don't seem to have any link to each other. Quiet loud dynamics, odd rhythms and hushed apoejn word vocals. Best Tracks: Breadcrumb Trail; Nosferatu Man; Good Morning, Captain
Prefs: Breadcrumb Trail, Nosferatu Man, Washer, Good Morning, Captain Moins pref: For dinner... (still good)
Kod mene postoji top 3 albuma iz '91, a to su: 1. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock, 2. Slint - Spiderland, 3. ATCQ - Low End Theory. Ko što vidite, album je u top 3, definicija post-rock/post-hardcore glazbe. Isto tako u taj žanr spadaju i dodatci kao što su math-rock i slowcore. Savršen album, naravno - posjedujem vinyl. Itekako vrijedi ovo poslušati, nokturalne je prirode, depresivnije - tad se hvata za tebe kao čičak za vestu.
This thing moves lumberingly, but its reputation of coldness seems undeserved. So it's not particularly glacial after all. The dynamic contrasts are what keeps the ear engaged. Otherwise there's so much unfolding here that depths are promised. What is deserved is the assertion that nothing since has sounded quite like this.
Yo, I quite enjoyed this. I don't know if I'd listen to this when I'm not working, but it was interesting.
Amazing album, not too short so you should definitely give this a listen
Dark, moving, vocal. I love their easy but powerfull style, it's really well put together
So this is kind of unexpected. I don’t hate it. It’s not at all what I expected. It’s sort of a whole mood type of album.
Surprisingly excellent. Bit of radiohead and chroma key feel. Definitely will listen again.
incredible!! super heavy and unique- love the quiet speaking voice over the foreboding guitars.
I liked it, feels a little pretentious at points with their monologues, but I really like the instrumentals and the overall feel.
Obscure, but interesting guitar riffs, tempo changes and somehow moving. Very interesting style. (7/10) Favorite Tracks: Don Aman, Washer
Loved how atmospheric it was in between the bursts of loud music, I feel compelled to revisit this.
Very low production quality, but I love the level of creativity by a bunch of young rockin dudes.
Not heard of this one before. Really enjoyed it but want another listen when I can give it my full attention. I think I enjoyed the first half more than the second but that might change on repeat listens. I'll give 4 stars
Det är mörkt och gitarrdrivet så jag måste väl dela ut en fyra. Gillade detta!!
first listen is quite rough, there are some high pitched noices that i dont think belong in music. As you listne more though the spoken word stories combined with heavy ominous bass instrumentals create and interesting experience
Fuck! This is amazing & I wish I'd been listening to it for the last 30 years. I'll make it up to you from here Slint, promise. Love the dissonance, the mood, the entire album.
I would agree with the reviews that describe this album as "greater than the sum of its parts" and "before its time". You can really hear a direct line to bands like Ought, Old Country New Road, Parquet Courts, and so on. Favorite track: Nosferatu Man
Interesting, had never heard of them but this grabbed me from first listen
Weird but good. This was the kind of album I could sit and listen to again.
With only one exception (which might or might not come up later in the challenge) I have mixed feelings about post rock records in general, including this one. I admire the ideas and the purpose behind it, I appreciate the compositional and executive skills of the band, but I also get the impression that it drags in places only to have a few other, and more rare, exciting moments. Or maybe it's only a moody record and I never listened to it in a more appropriate context.
Wow. Now that's what I call music, and by music I mean post-hardcore proto-mathrock. Jams for days. Front to back it's just stuffed with goodness. Absolutely legendary act, too bad they only made 2 albums before calling it quits. To quote Marty McFly, "I guess you guys aren't ready for that, but your kids are gonna love it." 4.5/5
Essentieller Postrocker. Etwas in die Jahre gekommen aber immer noch sehr gut.
I've spent a lot of time trying to really understand Spiderland, without much success. At this point I've given up on it as an album which I quite like but will never love in the way that a lot of people clearly do.
Very good. Very ominous in it's vibe, cold and calculated. Certainly not an easy listen. I had to digest it twice to kinda "get it" and it's the type of album that I can see myself appreciate even more the more I listen to it.
On first listen this was a 3, on a second it’s a 4. I can see this revealing more and more with each listen and picking up the 5th star at some point…
last week i was doing a deep dive on post rock after stumbling across Russian Circles so obviously this album came up. the trouble with many pioneering genre defining albums is that once the rest of the world has caught up there are always newer albums that take the initial thread and improve on it leaving the pioneer sounding a bit off the pace. that is the case with this album, its good but coming at it 30 years after it was written means there is a lot of post rock that i enjoy much more than this. if i didn't know it was such an influential album i would happily let it pass me by.
Actually pretty great. The mix of spoken word over these cool riffs and rhythms is surprisingly compelling. At times the lyrics come close to stepping into pretentious, but I still enjoy the weird metaphors that are used. Best thing I've listened to yet.
This was vg. Reminds me a little of the pixies. Bit overly rocky for me at times but really enjoyed the brooding ominous soundscape. Much more than American rock going on here. One for the re-listen pile for sure
Cool slow heavy Alt stuff. Too long/slow at times, but with some of the music I like, that's the pot calling the kettle black. Very glad to have listened! 3.5
The atmosphere, the tension, the shivers. Music that feels to fit precisely into some of your mood and makes you feel uneasy and uncomfortable in so many others. Lyrics and their vocal delivery makes you think this might be a project of setting some beat generation poetry to music.
THE DRAMA. I love it. I added Washer to a playlist of mine. Maybe I should try and write spoken word. I enjoy this more than Mewithoutyou.
This album was bizarre and cool, I like the loud guitar noise. The last song’s guitar parts are so unhinged. Washer and the last song are my favorite I think. I really enjoyed it but not sure if I’ll listen to it again. 3.5 I think?
Another album I "get" more than anything. Does a great job of creating a listless mood. The drumming is impressive. Favorite tracks: "Nosferatau Man" and "Good Morning, Captain".
Imogen: "I appreciate it as a good post-rock experimental album, and I like the song Good Morning, Captain, but it’s not something I’d personally listen to that regularly"
I liked the more melodic songs like the first or the fourth one. The other songs were not really it for me. I also thought that the album was missing some variation and some of the songs were sounding quite similar. Overall I liked the vibe of the album but 1-2 songs would be enough for me.
Not bad but not great. Some really good guitar and overall instrumentals, but not too engrossing.
Seit 7 Alben habe ich keine 3 Sterne oder mehr vergeben. Das Gespreche auf dieser Platte nervt leicht. Dafür hat die Musik aber auch was zu sagen. Musik, die mit elektrischen Gitarren gemacht wird, sollte häufiger so klingen. Und nicht wie 'The Fall'… Die Platte wird im Nachhinein - für mich unverdient - mythisch verklärt und über den grünen Klee gelobt. Ob es wirklich wegweisend ist oder folgende Bands nicht auch ohne dieses Album zu neuen Wegen gefunden hätten, sei mal dahingestellt.
Better on a second listen - most of the songs here are slow burns but worth the wait.
Instrumentally I like all that's going on, but vocally is where it breaks for me. Spoken word parts are fine but some of the singing is... not great. Very dynamic though. I can see why other bands were influenced.
As partes de guitarra são interessantes mas não gostei do vocalista, só fala, não canta
Didn’t get it at first, but after reading some context, it does capture the feeling of “emptiness” quite well.
Not entirely sure what to think of this. Wasn't easy listening, and have heard this album before actually. Not sure it grew on me either. Certain aspects of the songs reminded me of Jeff Buckley, nice motifs and certain chord progressions but then a whole load of intense dissonance I couldn't get on board with
Un bon album rock, les tounes sont bien cosntruites et le son est bon. C’est plus une experiemce d’ecoute qu’un album rock a ecoute dan 7ne soriee. 3.5
This was OK. Not my favorite music style consistently. Some songs were better than others
I remember being very excited to get a copy of this in college. I was a huge post-rock fan and this kept coming up as a foundational album. I didn't dislike it, but it seemed overhyped and not that connected to the post-rock scene I was so into. Feel the same after a relisten. Not a bad album, but feels more like a decent indie bank and a post rock milestone.
Reckon it would go up to a 4 with more listens. Can see how it's influential for Mogwai and others
HOWEVER! I like the album better than Joy Division's _Closer_ from yesterday. _Spiderland_ is a pretty good early 90's...music like what my friends played in the mid 90's. It probably did deserve more recognition than it got when it got released, but that's kinda what happens when you don't tour and barely sell. I don't think it is any more impressive than a whole host of music released around the same time though, it is definitely only here because it was a "hidden gem" that only the people "in the know" are aware of.
Tämä onkin hankala arvioida, sen verran taiteellista tavaraa. Läpi levyn oli tehokeinona tarinan kerronta hiljaisella äänellä, kuin runoa lausuen. Se alkoi kyllästyttää jo toisessa biisissä, mutta toisaalta se pakotti kuuntelemaan myös soittimia tarkkaan. Unenomainen, painostava tunnelma säilyi läpi levyn. Vaihtoehtoina arvosanaksi oli 2, 3 tai 4, mennään peruskolmosella!
That first track hits different. Have listened to this before and didn't fully get it. I still don't, but I'd listen to this again
Decent. Some very good bits, am always surprised by amount of talking / singing. Doesn't sound 30 years old.
Spiderland is a solid emo rock album. Very intense vocals paired with intense change of dynamics throughout each track. A lot of really beautiful instrumental sections. Lots of really nice guitar work.
Very cool! Had not heard of them before (kind of the point of the whole 1001 albums project, I know, which is why I love this). Intriguing sound, can hear the punk and post-rock style, and I like their mix of styles (e.g., some spoken-word stuff that sounds kind of Beatnik and art-rock-y). Not something I'd listen to often, but I definitely appreciate the work.
na koncercie ich bawiłabym się przednio to na pewno. niektóre dźwięki bolą w uszy. w don, aman i washer początek ładny, ogólnie fajny koncept takiego mówienia. troszkę ciężko się słucha, niektóre piosenki tak na słuchawkach, ale na koncercie super by było. i okładka fajen.
I heard about this album on some music nerds tiktok. Not really my style
This album influenced Pavement and the similarities are clear. Interestingly in the math rock genre. The band broke up before album became critically acclaimed. It’s moody, grungy - feels like Seattle scene music but they’re from Louisville. Good album.
Certainly not an easy album to approach. Lots of spoken word... some strange bastard between a psychedelic Doors song and In Utero from Nirvana. It's best when it has it's dark noisy groove on... i particularly liked parts of Washer and the angry end of Good Morning, Captain.
Wasn't too impressed until one of the middle tracks that had a very tasty minor key hook. Vocally uninteresting
Good instrumentals but just lacking the singing to make good rock sonvsz
It feels like an album of ambient strummy guitar "secret tracks" from 90s rock albums. Ok, not amazing
Hmmm…I don’t know…I kind of appreciated the moodiness of the instrumental music, but the vocals did not capture me at all.
For me personally, Spiderland suffers from being the third album of its genre in the last four days--and not a favorite genre of mine. But I will learn what there is to learn, and appreciate what there is to appreciate. I thought the first song was a respectable representative of its ilk, and I liked enough the back and forth of spoken word with soft music to angry shouting with a hard rock backing. It does take a while to settle into this one, and I still struggle with 8-minute tracks, but I got into it a bit more as the day went on. Interesting vocals and lyrics pushed it up a notch.
Very interesting album. Having been recorded in '91, sounds very influential for alt/post-rock to come. Not something I would listen to everyday, but I appreciate it's significance.
I tried. I get the influential aspect, but it was a bit repetitious for me.
Don’t get why you would close your album with a 16 minute ambient nothing track but otherwise a pleasant surprise. Love the long track run times.
Enjoyed this- especially love the rhythm section. Felt like a young, creative and free project. Quite an intense and direct listen as well- good!
I found it to be pretty interesting. The songs have a way to pull you in and keep you engaged, even with them being quite long. The instrumentals complement the themes of the songs as well, being harsh and mysterious at the same time. The mix of soft spoken and shouted vocals plays very well too. 6/10
I’ve listened to ‘Spiderland’ several times now, and I still can’t decide whether it’s sheer genius or utter rubbish.
Every once in awhile, some music theory nerds sneak in through a propped open studio door so they can make and release a record, and for some reason, every time that happens, a new entry is created on this list. It's creative, but is it interesting? The answer in this case is a huge meh. Best track: Nosferatu Man
Ik heb veel sympathie voor deze band, maar ik heb nog nooit een heel plaatje uitgezeten en nu weet ik waarom; Gewoon geen kut aan, behalve dat briljante geschreeuw van Goodmorning, Captain. Vandaar deze minzame 3 sterren.
Definitely one for listening with headphones and no distractions. Lyrically wonderful.
What a great story; the unheard album that becomes a cult classic and effectively establishes a genre. Loving this album becomes a shibboleth of "you wouldn't have heard of them" coolness. I worked in an independent record store in Australia during 91/92 and was totally and completely unaware of this record. And it was my job to be across stuff like this. No reviews, no advertising, certainly no touring. I did not hear of this album until the early 2000s. I had dipped my toe into post-rock, but generally, I like a steady driving rock and roll beat (that I can bug out too), so the stop-start nature of post-rock gives me the irrits. I think that was always my problem with this record; the first song, Breadcrumb Trail, is particularly stop-start, changing time signature, far too clever-clogs for my taste. But listening to the rest of the album, I found much more tolerable as that aspect was much reduced. And by the time you get to the closer, Good Morning Captain, we are into driving two chord rock. The whispered, occasional screamed, lyrics are almost inaudible and completely devoid of tune, which makes hem seem a little superfluous. I think that, if I listened to this about 25 times, I would learn to love it (it sounds great; really immediate and un-fussy). But does it fill me with the desire to run out and form a band, or even just buy a copy of this album? Sadly, no. I am generally too old and settled to buy records just because they make me look cool and knowledgeable, and so, Slint, I will, with regret, walk past your record and purchase something else. PS- I do appreciate that CD copies of this album have "this recording is meant to be listened to on vinyl" printed on the back. Especially at a time when vinyl was basically wheezing its dying breath, this is a cool gesture.
I liked this better than I expected to... after reading about the band I expected to hate it. The creepy murmuring vocals got old quick. Didn't find the rock all that math-y. It was all right.
Enjoyable listen even if I had no idea what they were saying. I read that it would be strange time signatures so was expecting really out there music. Turns out, it was soft punk. Like a Suicide Tendencies that you can listen to with kids home—assuming that they too can’t make out any lyrics.
This requires repeat playing but it has grown on me. Hypnotic guitar patterns, understated vocals. reminds me of someone but not quite sure who.
One of my favourite genres is Post Rock / Math Rock and these guys were pioneers, influencing many groups that I love. This album is dissonant and experimental with many quiet passages. Kudos to them for influencing so much great music in the 90s
Un peu emo, un peu sludge. Du spoken words, album très dark. Mérite une autre écoute, très lent.
Interesting. Liked it, but probably not going into my rotation. Kind of had some stoner rock vibes.
Generally speaking, I greatly appreciate both post-rock and math rock - so I would like to thank these guys for their contribution and for laying some groundwork. That said, the groundwork they laid was for vastly better bands. Knowing these vastly better bands, I really can't get into these album. Too jarring, too dissonant without any really interesting or rewarding parts, bad vocal performance.
I really like the darker vibe and riffs but it is quite redundant at times, I feel that it needs more ups and downs to keep me more interested through the album.
Probably the first album on hear that I thought I was not gonna like from the beginning but actually started liking more and more further in. Kind of weird that it’s a whole album of songs that sound like it would be the one gloomy experimental song on an album. Not a fan of the whispery vocals. Very moody stuff but I’d say it captured the kind of emotions that I had as a teenager. Last tune is the best one I think. The guitar player went on to play on two Tortoise albums that I was pretty into in college. 2.5
eDgY. So far not bad (on washer), not afraid to change pace and throw random surprising sections in. But so far not blown away by the choices and sounds like an angsty teen a little too much. Just checked RYM, may have been a bit to critical, but I honestly have not been blown away yet. Also looks like they only had one proper album. Solid 3
a narrated rock album. Almost like the doors with a modern sound. This was divergent from Slint's punk rock origins.