I had the fortune to be reunited with 2 boxes worth of CDs and some crates of vinyl that I had put into storage for several years recently. Besides the amount of inside-humor of going through albums that I thought were the absolute shit in high school, there were a few specifics that I was looking for to revitalise my current music collection. Besides the Prong albums, which were unfortunately alittle scratched, I found what I had been missing all these years. Why did I put such an important piece of sound history in a box of has-beens? I don’t know, maybe I just didn’t really appreciate what it was that had happened, but when I found that album with Brian, Britt (is his name really Britt?), Todd, and Ethan smiling smugly in some aquatic environment, well, you just have to wonder, just what exactly is below the surface.
Spiderland is hailed by many music critics and aficiandos as being the bands seminal, and most influencing album, sparking a long and wild affair that is post rock. I will admit, that I am personally a fan of post-modernism, I like that stuff far beyond its musical reach, I think that for me, it is all about the irony. Spiderland is an album steeped in the stuff. After playing the CD a few times, sitting around and enjoying it, my friend commented that it is very ‘mild’. While the songs never approach anything above a spoken word, mostly content to dwell in the whisper range, the shear amount of weird structure and the constant reorganizing of said structure, to me, does it for me. This was made in 1992 I believe, and bits of song and standards can be seen to possibly be emanating from this very album, take for example the stellar rockings of Nosferatu Man. Breadcrumb is the kick off song, and sets up what seems to be a running theme throughout the 6 songs of story telling, this gives each song a cool idea sorta notion. Going back to this album is continually rewarding, there will always be something to discover, no matter how intently you study the beast, you missed abit of it, so go back for another take. Don Aman is just one of those deeply resonating pieces, you can feel a certain empathy for Don when he feels good to be alone, I mean, who hasn’t been there, goddamn cynics beating him down inside, forget that bullshit, we are here for you Don. The ‘culmination’ of the album is the most recognized song of Slints, Good Morning, Captain. Perhaps this song is a fitting closer, it leaves the listener feeling complete for the experience, certainly more akin to the guitars heard towards the beginning of Spiderland as well as on their debut album Tweez. The song begins with a sparkling guitar line that is just great. Apparently this is Slint’s rendition of Coleridge’s old poem, the Rime of The Ancient Mariner. In said Rime, this asshole of a fisherman shoots an albatross that was guiding their ship away from Antarctica with a breeze. Of course, this is not viewed as good luck for the ship and of course, they are all slaughtered, much to the chagrin of the Mariner who shot the bird, because he is left to float around with the dead. Hmmm, well, check that one out on your own time. My advice is, don’t shoot the bird that brings a guiding wind, and much in the same way, give Spiderland and Slint a listen, because I’m sure somewhere, someone could try to convince you that they provided a pretty powerful guiding and influencing wind for this whole post rock genre anyway. According to Slint, Spiderland was intended for vinyl listening.
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