Slint – Spiderland (1991)
This album is agony. Genius agony, but agony nonetheless. Without it, Mogwai, Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, Pavement, and a few hundreds other bands would still be playing with Lego in sandpits… Indeed, Spiderland possesses this vulnerability that is indispensable to any good indie rock album from the 90s. A grim post-rock/math-rock album that became all the more iconic as it was released in March 1991 after the dissolution of Slint, an obscure combo from Louisville, Kentucky. The band featured the tortured guitar of David Pajo, the sharp-edged and unpredictable rhythmics of bassist Todd Brashear, drummer Britt Walford, and the sombre and spoken vocals of guitarist Brian McMahan. Everyone who listened to Spiderland agreed that this was like nothing they’d ever heard before. Throbbing guitars clash with chaotic, almost out-of-sync rhythms. At the time, grunge music was crackling all across the United States, and Slint came in with a much more poisonous, insidious and cerebral rock’n’roll alternative. Only the passing of time and the album’s cult status helped grow its influence significantly. Even though its legendary album cover – a black and white picture of the band swimming taken by Will “Bonnie Prince Billy” Oldham – gives no indication as to the tension contained within; once open, the package is a real smack in the face.
Create a free account to keep reading
