Review Summary: Spiderland is the Velvet Underground & Nico of the 1990's--it's influence on experimental rock rings true all the way into today's post-rock/math rock scene.
Slint is one of the few bands that is depressingly obscure. Spiderland is The Velvet Underground & Nico of the 1990's: few people bought it, but it still had a wide ranging influence on experimental rock throughout the '90s and into this century. Slint sound like absolutely nobody else in music, then or now. Their combination of spoken/whispered/screamed vocals, dissonant guitar melodies, and off-kilter rhythmic changes is something so unique it can't, and shouldn't, be mimicked. The atmosphere of this album is dark and extremely unsettling; Brian McMahan's vocal delivery contributes to this doom-laden mood. Just listen to the songs "Don, Aman" and "Good Morning, Capitain" and, for a lack of a better phrase, you'll be scared s**tless! David Pajo's guitar genius cannot be overstated, as he has a unique style that permeates this album (those high notes on "Breadcrumb Trail" and "Nosferatu Man" are just something else). Perhaps the most underrated of all the musicians on this album is drummer Britt Walford. His drumming style that combines the technicality and looseness of jazz drummers such as Elvin Jones with the sheer muscular force of hard rock, paving the way for drummers like Damon Che. Spiderland is a strange and creepy album full of musical surprises that jump out from the eerie silence--much like a musical haunted house. Highlights include: "Breadcrumb Trail," "Washer" (which sounds like a cross between Built To Spill and Pink Floyd) and "Good Morning, Captain."
