slint -- _spiderland_: classic or dud

Right. Going to see them play the album tomorrow in Brussels. (setlist in Amsterdam yesterday was: album + two song EP + new 20 minute track) Excited!

(oh, and classic, but not for listening to very often)

Slint kill me. I love "Good morning captain" but oh god is it heartbreaking.

classic, duh

"Good Morning Captain" goes straight to the back of my skull. "Washer" too, but in a more hypnotic, subtle way - "the sombre geometry of the repeating guitar riff" is a really fucking awesome and OTM description. "Washer" is one of the few songs on which I'll forgive the trembly emo-tenor singing. It just fucking works.

Saw them at ATP last weekend, they weren't helped by the cavernous venue in which they played. Still good though.

That was one of the few good things in this month's OMM; ex-Arsenal star Ian Wright reveals his secret love for "Good Morning Captain."

Wait, you're not kidding.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,2080706,00.html
"Surprisingly, he felt much the same way about Slint, not least because of the track's X-rated scream: 'That's how it should be, letting yourself go, to the extent that he's fucking screaming.'"

Well I never!

Isn't that song about the fractious relationship between an estranged father and son?

*shivers*

What's most mesmerizing about "Good Morning, Captain" is how the lyrics are like two almost-disjoint sets, the deadpan narrative vs. achingly personal emo whisper that comes flying out of nowhere. Fucking brutal.

And the guitars/drums/bass actually sound seasick, which is awesome.

Well, they were VERY good (album + 2 track EP + new song (not 20 minutes like in Amsterdam - other track?) ), but I'm still having trouble with the whole concept of playing full albums. Anyway, yay!

i nominate this thread for some of the worst writing on ILM. no wonder these people no longer write about music.

hi steve!

who's that on bass? it isn't todd cook.

according to (Dutch mag) Oor, it is indeed Todd Cook:

( http://www.oor.nl/deruit_concertverslagen_details.asp?id=513 )

Britt Walford: drums/vocals/guitar
Brian McMahan: vocals/guitar
David Pajo: guitar
Michael McMahan: guitar (yes, his brother)
Todd Cook: bass

(according to that same article, that is)

this is definitely not todd cook:

<img src=http://bp1.blogger.com/_oDP6_P0g4gc/RlLmlr1HKoI/AAAAAAAAAWs/fxv9cL-fe4E/s1600-h/508472584_c612cac472.jpg&gt;

crap, damn:

http://bp1.blogger.com/_oDP6_P0g4gc/RlLmlr1HKoI/AAAAAAAAAWs/fxv9cL-fe4E/s1600-h/508472584_c612cac472.jpg

wtf i hate nu ilx. go here:

http://bp1.blogger.com/_oDP6_P0g4gc/RlLmlr1HKoI/AAAAAAAAAWs/fxv9cL-fe4E/s1600-h/508472584_c612cac472.jpg

that's not todd cook.

Ah. That certainly is the guy who played bass yesterday.

Does this mean that dutch journalist got it wrong? Journalists getting things wrong, I thought that was impossible? :-(

looks like a de-bearded todd brashear:

http://www.wandwvideo.com/images/toddwrobot.jpg

wow!

I'm pretty sure that's the same guy, yes!

There's now a bootleg of the Amsterdam show, and the final track only looks like being 10 mins, according to the tracklist.

I only heard about that on some forum, by the way. Maybe they meant it felt like 20 minutes?

The instrumental part in "Washer" right after "promise me the sun will rise again..." is so fucking creepy.

it gets all slow and heavy and GOD it is so depressing.

PRIMAVERA MUTHAFUCKAS!

Brussels pix

http://www.soundslike.be/pictures/?pictureID=22

(yes, Pajo was wearing a Lamb Of God tshirt)

Put this on for the first time in a few years last night, blew me away yet again, absolute classic

Whereas I listened to this for the first time a few months ago, and was just... 'meh'.

I completely love this album, and was actually fortunate enough not to have had it played up as a total 90s indie classic (which, in any case, I really think it is, btw) before hearing it. Maybe 4 years ago, one of my older brothers (who first heard it when he was in college back in the early 90s) just put it on after I played him some Mogwai. We were talking a little bit about early 90s indie very generally, and he just kind of casually said, "oh, this is Slint, you'll probably like this." I was totally blown away.

Liked it at the time, but didn't love it. Feel the same about it now. A couple times in between, I've heard it and been blown the fuck away, but mostly it just sounds nice. Requires a specific frame of mind and kind of attention, I guess. Feel much the same way about Mogwai and Godspeed!, two of yr higher profile Slint spawn outfits.

But I totally agree w/ sundar et al about how hard it is to hear this record without experiencing a parallel rush of distaste for the huge, boring museum rock culture it seems to have generated, or at least anticipated.

i bought it because of the cover photo and the intriguing band name, and grew to really love it despite later finding that it was a CLASSIC

Tweez>>>>>>>>>>>>Spiderland to these ears.

Classic. The s/t For Carnation record is just as good, if not better.

"I MISS YOU!"

been listening to this a lot lately, its been the soundtrack to hanging out in my room and sulking lol

It is the soundtrack to a very emotional day for me here too.

Most go back to this. Not listened to it since being wildly underwhelmed by the reunion shows. But just thinking about it gives me shivers. What's the one that ends with the same chord repeated for 30 seconds? Best ending in rock.

Been thinking about "Good Morning Captain" the past couple of days. ILX is on my wavelength as usual.

i feel bad for anyone who thinks spiderland is anything but a dud, and i have to admit i hated it for a while and then i heard the ending of good morning, captain. 'nuff said, this is a top 10 album if there ever was one.

Like Spiderland okay, though it's not a personal favorite. Some amazing moments and a great command of flow, texture, dynamics, but it's all a bit too pinched and inward-looking for my taste. Not sure what the opposite of musically "generous" is (selfish doesn't seem quite right), but whatever it is, Slint have it in spades, and I'm not a fan. Plus I kinda agree with whoever way back when that it's hard to separate Slint from their million bazillion lemon-sucking "post-rock" followers -- from Tortoise to Mogwai to Pelican. I tend to prefer bands who're willing to risk looking like douchey, glitter-encrusted bozos to those who're content to glower and scour from the Corner of Eternal Darkness.

jesus christ stfu

http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv105/NAPOLEONROFL/youlikethis.jpg

What? I don't like it. Why should I?

tbf it is kind of a willfully ignant position to not be able to tell slint from mogwai from tortoise from pelican given that they all sound completely different