Slint - Spiderland
Release Date: March 27th, 1991
Genre: Post- Rock, Math Rock

Born out of the ashes of Louisville punk band Squirrel Bait in 1986, Slint was relatively unknown at the time of their magnum opus release, Spiderland.  Since its release, Spiderland's heart-wrenching and story-based lyrics, bizarre time signatures complimented by brutally fierce drum fills, and songs that rise in intensity and emotion before reaching a consistently jaw-dropping peak continue to wow listeners. The 39 minutes of music on Spiderland is effective in expressing emotion and narrative through intense and beautifully off-putting instrumentation, and also through lead singer Brian McMahan's occasionally barely audible, occasionally screamed lyrics.  This album is a true outlier not only because it is now regarded as a genre-defining, prototypical post-rock record, but it was also released by 4 guys in their early 20's who had all been attending college shortly before the recording of the album. Their self-released 1989 debut record Tweez had been received with mediocre sales and obscurity. However, during the planning of Spiderland, lead singer Brian McMahan was involved in a near-death car accident leaving him depressed, an event which surely made its mark on the sound of Spiderland. Right from the beginning of the record, the song Breadcrumb Trail presents itself with an off-kilter repetitive guitar riff, setting the tone for a eerily mumbled vocal performance about a day spent at a fair with a fortune teller. As dark and beautiful as some portions of the album can be, the band also utilizes ugly guitar feedback during the chorus on Breadcrumb Trail to illustrate the eccentricity of the fair and its attendees. A lingering sense of eeriness inhabits this album, and it works its way to the core of every single song. Tracks like "For Dinner..." and "Washer" seem to creep up on you, pulling you head first into the murky and morose atmosphere conjured by the flawless sonic aspects of this record. Alternatively, tracks like "Good Morning, Captain" and "Nosferatu Man" are neurotic in essence, searing the listener with ugly guitar riffs, primally beaten drum fills, and a rising crescendo both sonically and lyrically. "Good Morning, Captain" is in fact my favorite track on the record as in my opinion, there are few outros in modern rock music that match the raw emotion in Brian McMahan's voice and the rest of the band's performance on that track. It has been notoriously rumored that shortly after the intense and isolated Spiderland recording sessions finished, at least one member of the band checked into a psychiatric hospital. For better or for worse, Spiderland remains an immensely significant album which presents a sound that is truly distinctive. Its striking combination of paralyzing sadness and bizarrely captivating storytelling encapsulate Spiderland as one of the greatest albums of the 1990's.

RATING: 9/10

Favorite Songs: Good Morning Captain, Breadcrumb Trail, Don Aman

#Slint #Spiderland #1991 #vinyl #rock #postrock #vinylcommunity #lp #90s #vinylgen_feature #nowplaying #vinylcollector #vinylreview #12inch