33 years of spiderland

the greatest album ever was released 33 years ago today in 1991.

an absolute emotional gut punch of an album, spiderland always manages to keep me enthralled from start to finish. although it had to grow on me and I only liked like two songs on the album, over time i eventually awakened and realized how much of a masterpiece this album is.

an album i believe is about the eventual overturn of youth, slint was 4 literal kids and at the time of recording (which only took 3 days) they were all getting ready to leave their youth behind and go on to college. the recordings reflect that. sadness, fear, and many other visceral emotions tear through your heart when listening to this. when recording finished of the final song "good morning, captain", singer Brian McMahan immediately threw up everywhere due to the strain he set on himself. a sort of swan song, i believe that song to be. brian also was in a near-death car crash which caused depression, which definitely affected the state of the album. spiderland will you have on the edge of the seat not out of enjoyment, but out of uneasiness. a nerve-wracking album, truly. these kids somehow managed to perfect the feeling of anxiety, but then again who better to know than a group of kids getting ready to start their lives all over again?

only 6 songs in length the runtime is around 40 minutes, 5 minutes per song on average i think? their album before this was more certified punk-rock and alternative, nowhere near the absolute masterclass that is spiderland. each song can probably be related to some event or just feeling related to youth, and i relate this album to my youth and overall life. the scratchy and haunting guitar riffs produced by david pajo and brian mcmahan. the simple yet unmistakable necessary and driving basslines of todd brashear. and oh my god the drums. britt walford is an absolute mechanical demon on the drums. the drums on breadcrumb trail, nosferatu man, and good morning, captain are iconic. whenever i listen to the songs i almost always focus on the drums. they drive, man. the drive everything. britt is a musical angel sent from above.

the opening track is breadcrumb trail, a surprisingly fun sounding song about a boy and a girl putting their responsibilities aside just to go and have some fun together on a roller coaster. it starts off slow and then when the first verse comes, everything comes together. an epic composition which mirrors the intensity of the roller coaster ride itself. you can really feel it. the intensity, the emotion, the feeling of the moment that is presented to you. fast and loud, the scene fits the music perfectly. after the verses and the song ends, the intensity dies down and the song fades out just as it faded in.

nosferatu man is the more straightforward rock song. still haunting with that slint charm, the eerie guitar really set the mood for the song. the slow drums and the quiet spoken-word lyrics all of a sudden fade out and then the chorus slams in, cymbals crashing and distorted guitars raging. nosferatu man is probably my least favorite but that doesn't really matter considering every song on here is perfect.

don, aman is a strange song. spoken word and guitar. acoustic then switching to electric, distorted. a song which can just be interpreted as a man having a nervous breakdown at a party silently in his own head. he can't enjoy the moment like seemingly everyone else. definitely a feeling i can relate to but probably not as intense. probably the most eerie song on the album? the droning guitar and the quiet, almost inaudible whispers provided by the singer. an easy skip for some, and definitely one for me early on, but definitely one of the crowning songs of the album. 

washer is an epic love ballad, and is the longest track on the album. it drives you in with the quiet intro and almost immediately begins with the beautiful, romantic, and almost dreamy guitar lick. every song on this album is dark in their own way, but washer is a song possibly about a man's heartbreak and subsequent suicide, hinted in the closing verse of the song. a beautiful song that has one of the most insane closing sections of a song. of course it's simple but god it tears through your entire body like an electric shock. especially the build-up that leaves you on the edge of your  seat (so many moments on this album). screaming distortion that pierces your soul and can only be experienced truthfully is at max volume. absolutely incredible. a beautiful song despite the sad and depressing lyrics.

for dinner... is an interlude. quiet and almost wave-like, i think this song is a perfect representation of the calm before the storm that is good morning, captain. a transitionary period.

good morning, captain is the greatest song of all time, no doubt about it. the creepy, spine-chilling hook draws you in and especially me like no other. this song is so fucking good. the hook itself i could listen to nonstop for hours. and then everything else comes in. the partnering guitar, the bass-line that remains the same the entire song, and the drums..... oh my god the drums. the greatest drum beat ever. reminiscent of the blackbyrd's "dreaming of you", the drums are the driving force of this song. everything about them. this song would be nowhere as good as it is if not for the kick-ass drums. britt walford had reached his musical zenith at this exact moment. this song is amazing, and represents almost everything the members and the album had been building up to. a song about coming to terms with your youthful past, and having no choice but to eventually leave it behind. it tells the story of a captain who is the last survivor of his voyage. whether he is dead at this point or not is really not stated. whether this all is a vision or his life flashing before his eyes is unknown. he sees stairs that lead up to a door. he walks up the stairs and sees a window near it, and sees his younger self. the kid is pale and stares at the captain in horror, for he does not recognize the captain as himself. i believe when the captain utters the words "help me", it is only then the child recognizes him, but closes the blinds in fear. the man opens the door finally perhaps to chase after the kid, but is met with an empty interior, possibly to his childhood home. the captain begins to lose it. he at this point has no choice but to leave it all behind, and move on. it's all gone and there's nothing he can do but accept that fact. he starts to murmur how much he misses his childhood, and stating all the accomplishments he's made. there's a random lyric saying how he wishes the police to be notified?? i dont know how that fits in.. but nonetheless the captain reaches his breaking point and begins to scream at the top of his lungs how much he misses his childhood self. but obviously not just that, he misses his childhood in general. brian mcmahan provides one of the most beautiful and emotional wails i have ever heard in a song. you can tell that all of these members believe themselves to be the captain, and all have to face the same fact. brian's scream is so raw, so pure, so full of unfiltered emotion. it's not just for the song, it's real. a real scream stating how much he misses it. pure emotion. i have never heard anything quite like it. the song ends with the coda but the screaming still lingers in your head. are you not the same? 

this album is a gorgeous and deeply emotional and personal album. the band told their story, and the sadness and heartbreak and fear and horror are all at the forefront. no breaks. an album that would change music forever. change lives for ever. it along with talk talk's "spirit of eden" paved the way and set the foundation for the post-rock music genre. a genre noted for the dark, deep, ambient and slow-burning aspects of the genre. ever since spiderland's release slint moved on. they all branched out. they released a short ep with unreleased tracks in '94, and then other than the remastered edition of spiderland nothing. britt went on to join kim deal of the pixies in her new band the breeders and then some other projects. david pajo started a solo project and has also joined many notable bands such as tortoise (and left right before they released TNT), stereolab, gang of four, and toured with the yeah yeah yeahs for a bit. he attempted suicide but recovered and is doing so much better now. brian mcmahan started the for carnation with all the slint members except for todd but i don't think they really do anything with that anymore. todd brashear i believe just quit music altogether and even started up a little store in louisville (where slint was from) but it closed down a few years ago. everyone's doing fine. and that's good. 

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