Slint - Spiderland ALBUM REVIEW
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Listen: • Slint - Spiderland (Fu...
Slint's Spiderland is a depressingly intense pinnacle of creativity for a variety of underground rock styles.
More classic reviews: bit.ly/1Hb5DjC
Buy this album: amzn.to/1TpJCCW
===================================
Subscribe: bit.ly/1pBqGCN
Official site: theneedledrop.com
TND Twitter: / theneedledrop
TND Facebook: / theneedledrop
Support TND: theneedledrop.c...
===================================
FAV TRACKS: BREADCRUMB TRAIL, NOSFERATU MAN, FOR DINNER..., GOOD MORNING, CAPTAIN, WASHER
LEAST FAV TRACK: DON, AMAN.....if i had to pick....
SLINT - SPIDERLAND / 1991 / TOUCH AND GO / MATH ROCK, POST-ROCK, POST-HARDCORE, INDIE ROCK,
classic/10
Y'all know this is just my opinion, right?
" I MISS YOU I MISS YOU AHH I MISS YOUUUU"One of the greatest album endings ever
"please notify the police"
@@AdvancedApe1 That's the best username i have ever seen
@@AdvancedApe1
mm
Please... It's cold....
Indeed, it's pretty mental
CREEEEPING UP INTO THE SKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
STARING BACK AT MEEEEEEE
Screaming*
I SAY GOODBYYYEE TO THE GROOUUNNDDDD
I MIIIIIIIIISSS YOOOOOOUU
barzdaskute GOD I LOVE HOW HE SINGS THAT SHIT!!!
Don stepped outside
And laughed.... At himself.
He felt he knew what that was
+George Porte What a fuckboi
Don woke up
And looked at the night before
On all levels except physical I am Don
[Steps outside ]
+Le Cut Inside Man nice meme
+Le Cut Inside Man [Steps outside internally]
+Le Cut Inside Man Hello /sp/
Does it feel good to be alone?
Trynottoblink It does tbh fam
"Don, Aman" is an absolute rock classic and my favorite Slint song. The album is excellent, and was named after one of the band members' little brothers describing what it sounds like
Named after Britt walford's fish
worm boy slint is the name of the fish, hes referring to the album’s title
@@mahargllednif2250 I SEE
Don, Aman = Madonna
@@mahargllednif2250 right! McMahan's little brother said it sounded "spidery"
Spiderland is probably my favorite album from the 90s, and one of my top three favorite albums that I have listened to thus far. I remember the first time I saw the cover and thought "with a creepy album cover like that I wonder what kind of music could this be?" The first minute on Breadcrumb Trail immediately caught me off guard. "He isn't really singing. What kind of music is this? Whoa! It got loud all of a sudden! What the hell is this about anyway?" I really liked the imagery on Nosferatu Man. The last verse: "Now my queen is lying/In her early grave/After that girl I'll keep alone/ There's nothing left to save" would seem almost emo were it not for the atmosphere the music creates, and the genuine emotion coming out of McMahan that elevates it to pure poetry. Don, Aman could almost be called an early form of creepypasta, and I love how crazy it gets at the end for a brief moment. Washer is just depressingly beautiful. The music just overwhelms me to the point I feel numb, like I've been floating underwater for hours. Incredible. For dinner... is, I think, an essential instrumental. Especially since it hints at the emotional intensity of Good Morning, Captain. What a closing track! Good Morning, Captain is an absolute masterpiece. There are so many ways to interpret the song. Is it literal? Metaphorical? Both? Neither? Who is the child? Is it the Captain's younger self or not? And that finale! It almost brings me to tears, man. This album leaves me emotionally drained, and in a good way. So much music comes across to me as being entertainment, rather than works of art, and that's fine if you're into that. But this album is a prime example of how rock music can be just as artistic and emotional as jazz or even classical music.
I know I'm just gushing and not really saying anything constructive but...man do I love this album!
Excellent review by the way.
RomComTragedy lmao shut the fuck up
RomComTragedy how is it like a creepypasta? It's about a guy who is socially awkward who goes to a party. And at the end he looks in the mirror and realizes hes his only friend. It's not a monster in the mirror.
Obviously you forgot about At Action Park.
Not sure if you knew but Good Morning, Captain is a tribute to the poem Rime Of The Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, that might help you explore the interpretation of the song a bit further.
Man I reall wish the comment section was still like this on his videos
*I SAID GOODBYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TO THE GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUND*
WE STUCK OUT OUR HAAAANDS AND MEEEET THE WIIIIIIIIIIIND!!!
I always want to talk about how good the album is but the comments are all just people asking for the next review
I haven't heard it yet, is it a must check out now kinda album or just at some point
+Joe person Listen to it, it's fantastic.
+Joe person It's some great shit. Dark, depressing, melancholic, but in a way that is uniquely them.
+Nickelicious I give it a couple of listens and I don't get it. Do you have any favourite tracks?
+Maxime Laneville Breadcrumb Trail has always been my favourite, but I believe most people gravitate towards Good Morning, Captain. Breadcrumb Trail is relatively light, thematically, and Good Morning, Captain would be the opposite end of the spectrum; heavy, deep with emotion. I really like the instrumental "Ron" from their first album, too.
Interesting note about album:
During recording, all 4 members of the band were heavily suffering from depression or some other mental illness. And after they finished their final recording of the album which coincidentally was "Good Morning, Captain," the singer ended up vomiting from screaming "I MISS YOUUUU!" so loud/brutally at the end of song. He then checked himself into a Psychiatric Hospital about two weeks later, and was part of the reason the band broke up. Thanks TV Tropes and Wikipedia!
Lmfaoo good one
well at least you got 1/3 of the information right
They were kids also, some people don't know, all 18 or younger at the time of spiderland. They recorded all instruments live as a band in one take, vocals in another take.
Don't care if this is right, it's fucking great ahah
I don't think this is true, in an interview Pajo has said it was just a normal breakup.
This album is a personification of an Edgar Allan Poe poem into rock music
In other words it's complete garbage that people pretend is amazing
+RancidHobo do you actually think that? that you are right and everyone who knows anything about poetry is wrong / pretending?
Ingmar Bergman
young thug is okay too. whats your favorite bergman movie?
+Ingmar Bergman Hey! I like Slint and Young Thug. Both released albums which are genuine masterpieces in their genre. People need to look past Young Thug's appearance and sit down and listen to Barter 6 and realise that it's creative and unique and not overly serious too, I mean lyrically all he talks about is 'lean and ho's' but why should he rap about anything else when he perfects that so well? Doesn't use any voice correction software unlike other rappers in his field like Future.
d deadjl
agreed
The drummer of this band started an erotic cake bakery called Master Bakers. Legend.
Britt Walford is truly an eccentric
What is an erotic cake bakery? 🤔
@@pinkraven4402 i shit you not, he baked cakes shaped like genitals.
@@pinkraven4402 probably just weenie shaped cakes
@@grilledegg5216 Damn 😏
The girl grabbed my hand, I clutched it tight.
+Joel Rene Cano I said goodbye to the ground.
Thanks for your comment.... Seriously find it frustrating that almost nobody here knows/acknowledges this record and just asks him to review something else. Spiderland needs more appreciation.
Ever considered doing Pink Moon by Nick Drake for a classic week in the future? That's one of my favorites of all time.
Its fantastic. I prefer Five Leaves Left though
+Music Playlists I enjoy the minimalistic "guy and his guitar" feel of PM more, makes it more personal and gripping.
It's in my top three albums of all time, but to be fair it wouldn't be a very interesting review because the album is half an hour long and the songs are extremely similar to each other
+foxking39 That album makes me cry :(
So good tho
+foxking39 Pink Moon's guitar production is some of the most crisp of the 70's. Pink Moon is a 10/10.
I first heard slint while I was asleep, Don, aman played from my Spotify radio and subsequently soundtracked one of the most intense dreams I’ve ever had. I was in a dark gloomy house, lighting striking outside. I walk into a room and there are instruments playing Don, Aman by themselves. No musicians. This had an unbelievable sense of dread. I woke up and listened to the whole album pondering wtf just happened. I don’t think I have or will ever experience music like this
I call BS.
@@simplesimon8255 nah the shit happened i can still picture that room whenever this track plays
That sounds absolutely awesome, but I can’t imagine what I would personally feel like waking up after having a dream like that.
A similar thing happened to me but I had the song The Happening playing by the pixies and I was in a middle of a dream and I was in outer space.
@@simplesimon8255🤣🤣🤣 facts
I MISS YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
@gonzaa marques,el limón místico I MISS YOUU!!
WAAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIII MISSSSSSSSSS YOUUUUUUU
Spiderland was a album that was strange piece that didn't make sense to me--at first. About on the third and fourth listen, it clicked. I listened to this thing on a 2 hour (to and from) car ride in the middle of December. Very suitable for the weather and time. It's definitely a classic, one that isn't so easy to categorize or replicate.
Same. A friend let me borrow. At first I told him it was garbage. But Nosferatu Man kept going through my head. Listened a couple of more times and I was hooked,
I didn’t like it and came back to it months later and fell in love
I agree with you on the drums. They're so raw and intimate, and obviously well-played. Probably my favorite part of the album. Best track is Washer.
the guitar work on that track alone, damn
@@Meshtarand the lyrics, fucking great track
The first time I listened to Spiderland, I was too scared to listen to it again. That shit haunted me, but eventually I got up the courage to give it another chance and I was hooked. It remains my favorite Halloween album. Spiderland is the complete package. Great name, iconic album cover, and all the musical talent and atmosphere to back it all up.
Classic Reviews I'd like to see: Mingus Ah Um, Pink Floyd's Animals, anything by Joni Mitchell, Tool, or Radiohead.
Wdym it scared you
Bruh how old were you
Listening to Hail Mary when you're 5
What about the worst of the classics? As in the majority of people think a particular album is a classic, and you think that it not only isn't but it's a terrible album?
That would be very interesting. I cant think of a classic i hate right now though. I dont enjoy Exile on Main St. that much but I still appreciate it. What would make that list for you?
I duno, maybe Nevermind by Nirvana
Well fuck. I love that one. Tastes right?
+whiteshadow59 muh heart.....muh soul
+whiteshadow59 i second that notion :D
Does the end of good morning captain-when the tension breaks-make anyone cry just for a moment? It is really powerful to me.
moosegoosler listen to Orchard by Indian Summer.
@@george9822 Why? What does that have to do with his comment?
Christian Cristof look it up and find out
@@george9822 thank you so much for this. Totally worth the payoff.
@@mewxtwo I got more man. Let me know. I have a vault full of music like that.
One of my favorite albums. I can't exactly put in words how feel about it, but it is truly an adventure for sure.
It was Todd Brashear on Spiderland, not Ethan Buckler
Yep
Don, Aman for least?! That's my favorite, dude.
nice orchid profile picture bradda
Don a man brought me back here today. Not breadcrumb trail ... Not today anyway.
when are you going to review Speeding bullet to heaven for classics week? that album is a definite classic
+dftba171 a recycle bin classic
+OSIRIS ADOM I was just about to say, that album literally has all of the qualities to become a post-ironic classic. I swear to god this fucking time period we live in...
+dftba171 Yep, classic album to the rock and other genres!
We Assassins Creed! I think you mean classic album to all of the genres
dftba171 Cool
FUGAZI WHEN?
oh hi bandstand
cringe
Blows me away this is a 31-year-old record. So fresh, timeless, and fluid in tempo.
right now in my life as a teenager i am thoroughly convinced the spiderland is one of the best albums every written and performed, i wonder how my opinion will change
did it change yet
@@coenterporten8708 no
it wont
That light bulb moment when you are a teen will stay forever. I listened to the queen is dead in 86 and still class it as my favourite album.
One day you'll discover Bonito Generation
That ending of Good Morning, Captain is my favorite moment on any album. It speaks to me in a way that only a few other moments have came close.
SAME! if you're looking for anything else that's extremely emotional too try Bloodhail - have a nice life
@@andreasbjrndal3083 will do thanks man
@@Notyourbroseph whaddya think?
@@andreasbjrndal3083 definitely something that i will be returning to again. You're a real one, mucho thx! 🤘
I think Jeff Buckley - Grace would be a great album to do for classics. Jeffs vocals are unreal
Dude, I can't believe you did this record. Spiderland is incredible!
Underrated masterpiece for sure
Most people don't realize that Brian and Britt traded off vocals. Their voices are incredibly similar.
I lost count how many times I've listened to this album. It's been a lot. I own several different copies, including the original pressing, the re-reissue, and a colored version of it on vinyl.
Would be cool to see a full Deathconsciousness review someday. You already touched upon it briefly in the Giles Corey(?) review but it is definitely a classic
Spiderland was a highly influential album in the early 90s, which is mainly attributed to patient song composition, low-key complex rhythms, melancholic tone, and use of space (the sound of nothing... imagine that on a punk record). Nothing else sounded like it. Dive Like Jehu's "Sinews" was a direct descendant of Spiderland.
Ok
ok
ok
ok
+Heffae ok
ok
I literally searched your channel yesterday to see if you'd ever reviewed this after first hearing Slint a few weeks back... coincidence af
Would be cool to see you do an American Football review :)
+Terry Bogard it's true, there's a lot to tear into there.
+Obey Yeoey hahaha me too
+Terry Bogard I think he actually likes this album, though.
Henry Yeomans Yeah he cites it a lot, on the track review of the new stuff he basically outlined why he enjoys the first
I first heard this album when I'd just left home in early 1993, as my housemate kept playing it. I could not stand it one bit, it annoyed the sh*t out of me! But then a few months later I moved in with some different friends who just listened to h/c and power pop guitar bands, which was fine...for a while...but eventually it all grew tiresome and predictable and I hankered for something a bit different - totally different. And I kept thinking of that bloody annoying Slint album, especially that incessant marching riff in 'Nosferatu Man'....and so I went out and bought a copy...and it was like a 'Road To Damascus' moment. What had irritated me all those times before now made sense, now sounded irresistible, now was to become one of my favourite albums of my life.
And it still is.
I was in a record shop back in 2012 and saw this on the wall. No name or anything on the cover, just that iconic photo. I immediately thought "idk what this is but I need it". Popped it on when I got home and was completely mystified. So unique and emotion envoking in a way that cannot be described. Learning of the history of the band members and the louisville music scene makes this album even more special. I'm gonna go watch Lance Bangs' "Breadcrumb Trail" now. Highly recommend it.
Fun fact: The iconic album cover is a photo of the band taken by Bonnie Prince Billy.
It was taken by Will Oldham
yeah it was will oldham
What name does Will Oldham go by these days for his music?
@@thomasdavidge9813 I dont believe he ever seriously played in any bands. His older brother did however play in languid and flaccid. Brian and Britt’s first band
No mention of how young these artists were when they made it? Or how the vocals were recorded with a tape recorder in a car.
That'd be for the demo, not the vocals on the album
That was Car Seat Headrest
@@Martykun36 Slint's drummer even looked like Will Toledo
Britt Walford is a quirked up white boy. And is definitely goated with the sauce.
This album changed my life. I'll never be able to fully explain it but it's intertwined with my soul
CORRECTION: Ethan Buckler played bass for Slint on the previous album, Tweez. The bassist on Spiderland is Todd Brashear.
Great album and review tho
Review Talk Talk
+mirror saw Yeah! Spirit of Eden is a masterpiece.
+Maximillian Leet Or he could be a rebel and review The Color of Spring
honestly i really prefer laughing stock, though they are both absolutely amazing
He did
Fantano seems like more of a nerd instead of a snob here.
I miss his passion.
Here is another useless comment that I feel like adding to the world.
Maybe just cause it's a classic album he's listened to over the years, and has a lot of passion towards this album he likes. Rather than most of his new videos where he has to review a new album that just came out and doesn't feel for it the same.
I mean like the guy above me said, you are looking at one of the most important Post-Rock albums of all time, the influence of it is immense, plus it’s been out for a good 30 years at this point so the impact is well seen. Of course it is going to come off that way compared to new albums that can be mediocre or whatever.
review Leaves Turn Inside You by Unwound
Contrariwise37 both Spiderland and LTIY were the soundtrack to me discovering marijuana when I was 16
Unwound had way better albums. Over produced and too polished
1985cactus nah
@@brianmeeth1512 Yah
Leaves is my favorite album of all time
ONe of the best albums I've ever listened to. I'm 28 and first heard it last year. I don't think I'd appreciate it as much if I didn't hear it until then because of the subject matter of the lyrics and everything else going on with the sounds. Definitely something you have to listen to just to experience it. Not much else can compare to Spiderland.
Great review but buckler didn't play bass on this. He left after tweez. The bass is by Todd brashear
how is don aman the least fav track? i mean your opinions famtano but honestly this album is flawless from its first to last moment. maybe i should just actually watch the review before i speak.
"if I had to pick"
+Will Lucas yeah i know, i saw that but again, i dont know. i love that track, the lyrics really depict social anxiety.
+BoycottGrapes opinions right?? weird
I find the way the distorted guitar comes in a bit lame and then it just fades out... bit anticlimactic after the first two tracks. but apart from Good Morning Captain this is not a classic to me.
blodwynswayze maybe you don’t like softer music?
Fugazi.
He already reviewed that an earlier year.
Somebody once told you should review the Shrek 2 soundtrack
Haha
+Nick Masini Cal can do it more justice.
He ain't the sharpest teeth in the gaaame (8)
i cried at the end of this album. so unbelievably sad.
waiting on that Illmatic classic review
June
***** He's starting two a year next year.
+JMoney R. Do you know when he's doing the In Utero review?
Orange Juice W/ No Pulp That will be in June too
+JMoney R. Thanks
I am absolutely in love with this album. The finale on 'Good morning, captain'... Wow
Amazing album.
Got it right after Good Morning Captain was featured on the soundtrack to Kids - which was a brilliant collection of songs.
I miss this comment section which was actually talking about the album. Now it's just the generic unfunny sarcastic comments.
CREEPING UUP INTO THAAA SKYYYYIIIII
I always took the end of Don Aman as something that sounded uplifting but had a darker meaning. When it talks about how he looked in the mirror and saw his friend, I take it to mean that he feels like he's the only person he needs (he is his only true friend).
My favorite album for almost the past two years. I've listened 200+ times, and every time is a new, different experience. The subtleties in the rhythm play with expectations, and all the instruments weave together to create a mesmerizing flow. There's also so much cool info about the album out there (the Breadcrumb Trail documentary and the 33 1/3, plus all the interviews). I am so drawn to this album because of the emotionally deep narratives, and the instrumentation puts me in a trance. It has so much value in relistening because I know what the great parts are and feel the anticipation of them while listening, and I discover new ones each time.
I would love to hear you review The Avalanches' "Since I Left You", or at least a plunderphonic record of some kind, like DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing".
Spiderland Spiderland
does what ever a spiderland does
i c u particle man
Check rym's Spiderland page for the full lyrics.
+sblue 7004 Is it strong?
Listen bud,
It's got Steve Albini in its blood.
still one of my favourite albums in 2020. Spiderland Forever
Best album of all time.
Agreed.
Don, Aman and Washer destroyed me, cried like a bitch
I found out about Slint yesterday when I was looking for songs to help me with harmonics. I found Breadcrumb Trail from some forum recommending it- holy SHIT they are amazing!
Review Godspeed You!'s A# F# Infinity sometime soon
he's already reviewed Lift Yr Skinny Fists, so I really doubt he would do another classic review on the same band.
+Kaya David Sosa his channel can only handle so much /mu/ circle jerking
Tunaboy45 indeed, the day he decides to admit that American Football it's a fucking 6/10, /mu/ will rage in vengeance tbh
Kaya David Sosa One of the most overrated albums around.
Tunaboy45 Indeed.
Anthony, you should review another classic album: Alien Rap, by Alien Kids.
have you signed the petition?
www.change.org/p/anthony-fantano-to-review-alien-kids-alien-rap?source_location=petitions_share_skip#petition-letter
"My head is empty, my toes are warm, I am safe from harm"
I wish to write the stories here into a short novel one day. The layout and structure reminds me greatly of The going away present by lowercase. If youre reading still you must like Jesus lizard, I wrote a novella that's very disorienting like the album Goat, which begs that question "what are they doing?" It's called monkey trick for this reason. Also I used a play on Britt in it cuz of mouth breather
this guy knows his noiserock lore
Washer is the song I find myself repeating the most often for the past couple decades.
all time fav album
The song "washer" is my favorite.
When I first listened to Washer, I could get an idea what it feels like being sucked into a wormhole. One of the most underappreciated so-called sleeper tunes there is.
Great to hear a review of Spiderland, thanks. Had this album for maybe 20 years, & out of all the music I have obsessed over since being a kid, this album would always be in my top 5. Have rediscovered it countless times & become hooked again.
The drums are perfect, mature & so musical, I could listen to them alone and be intrigued.
Beautiful album in every respect.
Great to read the other comments on here too.
Love this album so much. It's got that otherworldly quality to it that I look for. I heard it the first time I heard The Pixies as well.
+scaredypicker These two bands got me into Punk Rock and Noisy music way back when I was 15/16 years old kid. :) G8 comment.
I fucking love this album. I listened to it a lot while reading Infinite Jest and I feel like they parallel emotionally in their pervasive bittersweet melancholic tones and the way they invoke or empathize with feeling lost, especially Don, Aman and Washer. They both strike a certain chord like being lonely in a room full of people so well that is so difficult to get right without being whiny or angsty. To quote IJ: "It's weird to feel like you miss someone you're not even sure you know" A couple other albums that hit that particularly bittersweet feel are Sung Tongs and Prospect Hummer. Great review Anthony! Does anyone have any recommendations for any similarly sad albums?
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Erykah Badu - Baduizm
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
The Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
The Beatles - Revolver
Outkast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below
Kanye West - Late Registration
Jay Z - The Blueprint
D'angelo - Voodoo
Rush - Moving Pictures
Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love
Portishead - Dummy
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Wire - Pink Flag
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Crosby, Stills, and Nash - S/T
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Justin Timberlake - Justified
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...
N.E.R.D - In Search Of
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Bob Marley - Exodus
Dr. Dre - The Chronic 2001
The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds
I know he already did revolver and I think he did daydream nation too but don't quote me on that one
+Marshall Guynn I don't see a Revolver review
Bit late with this comment but here goes...
Breadcrumb Trail is to me the one (as much as can be) "upbeat" song on this amazing album. You didn't mention that the protagonist asks the fortune teller "if she'd rather go on the rollercoaster instead" and good clean thrills abound, at first. (It's all fun and games until someone starts blowing chunks!).
At the end, "I said goodnight to the fortune teller, the carnival sign threw colored shadows on her face... but I could tell she was blushing."
That gets me every time. To me the song is a beautiful tale of a young flirtation, a carefree adventure ending under a sunset... a metaphor which contrasts with the darkness on the rest of the album.
Okay, there's the creepy bit in the middle where the evil rollercoaster operator won't let them leave, and when the fortune teller vomits... but apart from that it's pretty positive!
This is a really good album to play at family dinner parties
i’m proud to say they are from the same state as i am
not my ''''''favorite''''''' album but my vote for objective best rock album ever made
It finally came, he took a deep breath
It made him feel strong, and determined
To go back inside
Would love to hear a review of Talk Talk's Laughing Stock or Spirit of Eden if you believe either to be worthy
"I'm trying to make my way home. I'm sorry. I miss you"
And they were so young
Ethan Buckler wasn't on this album, it was Todd Brashear on the bass
Next year you should do Magical Mystery Tour so you can end the video by saying "Strawberry Fields... Forever."
My first introduction to Slint was actually years ago when i used to watch your old reviews and every time you cursed you'd have an album cover bleeping your mouth and that was one of them. I listened to the album years later and now it's one of my favorite albums of all time, it's brilliant!
I remember my roommate playing this album in the early 90s. I thought it was an excellent album, but it didn't grab me like other bands did at this time. I was getting into psych bands, Chocolate Watchband, 13th floor elevators. I also dug 90s bands like Urge Overkill,Big Black/ Rapeman, Scratch Acid/The Jesus Lizard. Of course, The Pixies. I liked the dynamics of Slint, and the groovy guitar work though!
Thank you so much for this. Really one of my favorite reviews you’ve done. The way you describe each track is beautiful. Thank you so much for choosing to break down such an incredible record.
Would be absolutely elated if you chose to add an American Football s/t review to your classics list.
You’re the best, my dude!
Bought it the week it came out. 'Cause I'm old, see?
I wish I had found this back when I was into Pavement.
Been waiting for this for a long time - my favourite record ever!
Nice job on the review! Really good description. I just rediscovered "Spiderland" for like the 10th time. Just keeps getting better. Seems to be my go-to for dreary winter months - many gray cold days I pull into my work parking lot with it at full volume, park, turn it off, and walk into work like nothing happened. But something did happen, oh yes. Ha! great stuff.
Can you review the album Symbolic by Death next classic week.
just noticed anthony incorrectly credited Ethan Buckler with the bass playing when it was actually Todd Brashear. I’ve watched this numerous times and just noticed. Who woulda thunk
I MISS YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Anthony is spot on with this review as always...when I first heard "Good Morning Captain" in the early nineties, I knew from the get go that this was amazing and important music. Saw them at the Stone Pony 3 years ago and it was if they had never stopped playing together...such is the precision of Math Rock...
Literally the greatest album ever made
This is my personal favorite album of all time. Below, I will share my personal interpretation of the story, as I believe there is a concrete story between all of the songs:
Breadcrumb Trail - Here's where we meet our boy Don, who's traveling to the fair/carnival/sideshow. Through his own view, we're shown that Don is a bit strange from a social standpoint. "I couldn't figure out why they would want to wait in line" is a an excellent example of this, as, to most, its obvious that you wait in line for Rollercoaster because they're something that you enjoy. Don also knows this, as he later takes a girl on to a Rollercoaster, but without an extrinsic motivating factor, Don seems unable to rationalize/empathize with the behavior of others. This is further reflected later in "Don, Aman" but for now, we just have the clues that lead into our later discovery of his sociopathy. The entire later half of the song is a depiction of Don, the social outcast, falling in love on the Rollercoaster with this fortune teller girl. There's some beautiful imagery in there, but from a story telling perspective, that's all that's happening. He falls in love, and they develop the beginning of a relationship.
Nosferatu Man - This song, in my opinion, is the hardest to interpret and the most important to the story. Without burying the lead, Nosferatu Man is a big ass analogy for a relationship, and is the entirety of his relationship with the Fortune Teller summarized in one song. Tackling the song bit by bit, "I live in a castle... food she made" is the pretext establishing him living with the Fortune Teller and his attempt at being a good partner. "Like a bat... red coal train" is a bit more abstract, but I believe he's describing his emotional withdrawal from her. Whether he's literally leaving or not is up for interpretation, but I believe the red coal train is a metaphor comparing her drive and motivation to bring him back to the power of the locomotive. Her motivation starts to drive a wedge between them, and with "Eyelids... down the line" we get a repeating of this cycle of him emotionally withdrawing and her going after him. With that line, he admits to it negatively affecting his feelings towards her, as he's doing "just fine" until he notices her coming. "With the light she disappeared" is her giving up. Whether she breaks up with him or just emotionally separates herself, she's no longer chasing after his emotional involvement. "And set me... railed through the night" shows that her leaving/stopping fucked him over emotionally and motivated him to go after her. "She peeked around... gone again" is a him getting her back, and repeat offending with his emotional withdrawal. Now double emphasized with the vampire analogy with "my teeth touched her skin" representing his repeated emotional manipulation of her, now with him outright admitting to it being somewhat intentional. The last verse seems to harken to the events that eventually go down in Washer later on, but, by itself, is just a poetic way to say "good riddance" to a former lover you're no longer with. To quickly summarize:
1. He trys to please her, but goes emotionally distant
2. She puts in work to bring him back
3. Things are momentarily good, but he does it again
4. She tries to bring him back
5. This repeats until she gets tied of it and gives up
6. He puts in the effort to bring her back
7. He does the same shit to her again
8. She leaves for good
Whether he was emotionally distant, cheated, abused her, or whatever else is all up for interpretation, as well as whether he planned to kill her from the very end point of the relationship or not. Either way, that formula exists very clearly within Nosferatu Man, and I believe the vampire reference is more just a poetic depiction of being an emotional succubus to your partner. This, to an extent, further elaborates in his inability to navigate social dynamics appropriately.
Don, Aman - The story of this song is super simple, but has massive implications for Don as a character. He goes to a party, gets overwhelmed, tries again, gets overwhelmed again, and then leaves to take some form of responsibility for his actions the next morning. Don, very clearly, has social anxiety. He knows this, as evident by the Carnival, but chooses to go anyway. Likely because of the breakup with the Fortune Teller. "Don woke up... friend" is the most important part of this song. It shows that, one, he recognizes himself as a friend, whereas he denies that privilege to all of the party goers prior, and 2, he believes he's responsible for fixing how he felt the night before. I personally think that this harkens back to the end of Nosferatu Man, and is insisting that he blames the Fortune Teller for his now apparent social anxiety. His internal ridicule MUST be her fault. This, of course, is faulty thinking.
Washer - My personal favorite song in the album, and the one that ties the story all together. The Fortune Teller is now dead, Don having killed her. Each verse is Don reflecting and emotionally changing through his reflection on killing her. While I cannot literally prove that she is dead between songs, I believe that the "early grave" line in Nosferatu Man, "He knew what he had to do, he was responsible," line in Don Aman, and the opener "Goodnight my Love", in Washer really insist upon her murder. Without breaking down each individual line, the first verse is Don speaking to her with a tone of satisfaction. He's glad the murder is now over because he believes he's now solved his issues. The second verse, Don is a tad more agitated. He's critiquing her previous actions towards fear by comparing to the developments he's made in himself, and doing so in a reflective manner, positive toward himself. The third verse, is remorse. He wants her back, and he's literally begging for it. The fourth verse is acceptance, in which Don chooses to kill himself. "Tonight's dreamless sleep" also paralleling the "goodnight my love" in the opening being a reference to death, further enforcing the idea that she is dead.
That was a great review, Anthony. I should listen to Spiderland once more. My first approach, some years ago, was not the happiest, because I had read it was the beginning of post-rock, so my expectations were quite different. And the sound was so alien to me I didn't really pay attention to what was happening. Now I might have a new perspective to look from.
Anyway, I'd love to see you making a review of a Depeche Mode album. I guess Violator counts as classic, but really could be anything from Some great reward to Ultra, don't you think?
+Benjamin Carabajal I love Exciter and Playing The Angel too, but yeah, I don't really know if most people like those ones much and I doubt anyone probably considers them to be classics besides me.
there's no album that captures the same type of emotion as this album. it's insane. I still reflect and go back to it from time to time