View source for Spiderland

{{short description|1991 studio album by Slint}}
{{Redirect|Good Morning, Captain|another song with this lyric|Mule Skinner Blues}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Spiderland
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Slint]]
| cover        = Slint - Spiderland.jpg
| alt          = A black-and-white photograph of four men swimming in a quarry lake
| caption      = Cover photograph by [[Will Oldham]]
----
{{resize|Left to right: Brashear, [[Brian McMahan|McMahan]], [[Britt Walford|Walford]], [[David Pajo|Pajo]]}}
| released     = {{Start date|1991|3|27}}
| recorded     = August 1990
| studio       = [[River North Records|River North]] (Chicago)
| genre        = * [[Post-rock]]
* [[post-hardcore]]
* [[math rock]]
| length       = {{Duration|m=39|s=31}}
| label        = [[Touch and Go Records|Touch and Go]]
| producer     = [[Brian Paulson]] (credited as [[audio engineer|engineer]])
| prev_title   = [[Tweez]]
| prev_year    = 1989
| next_title   = {{noitalic|[[Untitled Slint EP|Untitled]]}}
| next_year    = 1994
}}

'''''Spiderland''''' is the second and final studio album by the American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Slint]]. It was released by [[Touch and Go Records]] on March 27, 1991.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419121951/https://store.touchandgorecords.com/products/slint-30-long-sleeve-tshirt-black Slint Limited 30th Anniversary T-shirt]". [[Touch and Go Records|Touch and Go]]. Archived from [https://store.touchandgorecords.com/products/slint-30-long-sleeve-tshirt-black the original] on April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.</ref> Slint's lineup at the time of recording comprised [[Brian McMahan]] on vocals and guitar, [[David Pajo]] on guitar, Todd Brashear on bass guitar and [[Britt Walford]] on drums. ''Spiderland'' was [[audio engineer|engineered]] by [[Brian Paulson]] and recorded over four days in August 1990. The music and vocal melodies were composed throughout the summer of 1990, while lyrics were written in-studio.

Forming in 1986 in [[Louisville, Kentucky]], Slint had met as teenagers playing in the Midwestern [[punk rock|punk]] scene but soon diverged sonically from their [[hardcore punk]] roots. By the time they recorded ''Spiderland'' in mid-1990, the band had developed a complex, idiosyncratic sound characterized by atypical rhythmic [[Metre (music)|meters]], harmonic [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance]] and irregular [[song structure]]s. McMahan's vocal delivery on the record alternates between spoken word, singing and shouting. The lyrics are presented in a [[narrative]] style and cover themes such as unease, social anxiety, loneliness, and despair.

Slint broke up shortly before the album's release due to McMahan's depression. In the US, ''Spiderland'' initially attracted little critical attention and sold poorly. However, a warm reception from UK music papers and gradually increasing sales in subsequent years helped it develop a significant [[cult following]]. ''Spiderland'' is widely regarded as foundational to the 1990s [[post-rock]] and [[math rock]] movements, and is cited by critics as a milestone of [[indie rock|indie]] and [[experimental rock]], inspiring myriad subsequent artists. Slint reunited in 2005 to perform the album in its entirety across three international tours.

== Background ==
[[File:Kentucky Theater, Louisville.jpg|thumb|alt=Black and white photograph showing the facade of a performing arts building with a large sign reading "Kentucky"|Before recording ''Spiderland'', Slint performed instrumental versions of their new songs during a concert at the [[Kentucky Theater]] (''pictured in undated photo'') on June 23, 1990.]]
Slint formed in 1986 in [[Louisville, Kentucky]], after the dissolution of two local bands: [[Squirrel Bait]] and Maurice.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|pp=53, 56}} The founding members included [[David Pajo]] (guitar), [[Britt Walford]] (drums) and [[Ethan Buckler]] (bass guitar), with [[Brian McMahan]] (guitar, vocals) joining soon after their first performance.{{sfn|Ankeny}} Their debut album  ''[[Tweez]]'' was recorded by [[Steve Albini]] and released in 1989 on the group's self-owned [[record label]] Jennifer Hartman Records and Tapes.{{sfn|Ankeny}} Buckler left the band out of dissatisfaction with ''Tweez'', and was replaced with Todd Brashear.{{sfn|Sarig|1998|p=266}} Their second recording was an untitled [[extended play]] (EP) commonly referred to as ''[[Slint (EP)|Slint]]''. Its [[instrumental rock]] sound featured on the EP, which would not be released until 1994, reflected both their new direction and increased musical sophistication since writing and recording their debut album.{{Sfn|Southern Records|2009a}}{{sfn|Tennent|2011|pp=71–72}}

The 1989 studio recordings drew the attention of Corey Rusk, co-founder of [[Touch and Go Records]]. He said that the album "was just so radically different than ''Tweez''.&nbsp;... I remember getting a tape of that and just listening to it over and over, really fucking loud."{{sfn|Bangs|2014|loc=47:49–48:02}} By early 1990, Rusk had agreed to pay for studio time and committed to release their next record with Touch and Go.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|pp=73–74, 81}} In July 1989, two weeks after the release of ''Tweez'', Slint supported concerts by [[Crain (band)|Crain]] and [[King Kong (American band)|King Kong]] at which they debuted early versions of the songs: "Nosferatu Man", "Breadcrumb Trail", "Good Morning, Captain" and "Washer".{{sfn|Tennent|2011|pp=69}} That June, they performed nearly finalized instrumental renditions of the ''Spiderland'' songs during a concert at the [[Kentucky Theater]].{{sfn|Bangs|2014|loc=55:54–56:36}}

==Production and recording==
Throughout the summer of 1990, the band practiced the music for six new songs McMahan and Walford had written for Slint's second album. The songs were recorded in August 1990 with producer [[Brian Paulson]], who was known for his "live" recording style and minimal [[take]]s. Paulson later said that the recording "was weird... because I remember sitting there, and I just knew there was something about it. I've never heard anything like this."{{sfn|Parker|2005}} McMahan and Walford wrote the lyrics at the last minute while in studio,{{sfn|Parker|2005}} although they had worked out the vocal melodies in advance using recordings of practice sessions and a [[multitrack recording|four-track]].{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=57}} The album mostly explored themes of coming of age and anxiety about the approach of adulthood, and McMahan did not want the lyrics or vocal style to be heard by others until the actual recordings. He said: "I did not want to rehearse the vocals...it was a one-shot, cathartic experience."{{sfn|Simpson|2014}}

The recording sessions were intense, fraught, and often difficult. According to [[AllMusic]], they were "traumatic...and one more piece of evidence supporting the theory that band members had to be periodically [[Institutionalisation|institutionalized]] during the completion of the album."{{sfn|Carlson|2001|p=369}} Rumors circulated that at least one member of Slint had checked into a [[psychiatric hospital]]. Walford later said that there was no truth to such claims, although the band was "definitely trying to be serious about things, pretty intense, which made recording the album kinda stressful."{{sfn|Irvin|2001|p=640}} The recording was completed in four days.{{sfn|Parker|2005}}

== Music ==

{{Listen
 |filename = Breadcrumb Trail - Slint.ogg
 |title = "Breadcrumb Trail"
 |description = A sample of "Breadcrumb Trail", the [[opening track]] from Slint's 1991 album, ''Spiderland''. This sample contains part of the song's verse, bridge, and chorus.
 |filename2 = Good Morning Captain - Slint.ogg
 |title2 = "Good Morning, Captain"
 |description2 = A sample of "Good Morning, Captain", the sixth track from ''Spiderland''. This sample contains part of the song's second verse.
}}

The album's guitar work is noted for its roomy sound,{{sfn|Shteamer|2020}} angular rhythms, dramatically alternating [[Dynamics (music)|dynamic]] shifts, and irregular [[time signature]]s. McMahan's singing style varies among mumbling, [[spoken word]], strained shouting, and a written-[[narrative]] style. [[Will Hermes]] of ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' summarized the album's sound as "mid-'70s [[King Crimson]] gone [[emo]]: screeching guitar chords and gorgeous note-spinning in odd-metered instrumentals speckled with words both spoken and sung".{{Sfn|Hermes|2005}} [[Steve Albini]], writing for ''[[Melody Maker]]'', described the music as "structurally and in tone", saying that the band "recall[s] [[Television (band)|Television]] circa ''[[Marquee Moon]]'' and [[Crazy Horse (band)|Crazy Horse]], whose simplicity they echo and whose style they most certainly do not".{{sfn|Albini|1991|p=35}}

The lyrics are usually narrative in style, and have been described as "eerie" and having "peculiar syntax".{{sfn|Wojtas|2014}} Both the vocal melodies and words were written by McMahan and Walford after the basic tracks had been recorded during practice sessions, and often were not heard by Pajo and Brashear until their final recording in studio. The vocal additions often pulled the songs in new directions, with examples being "Good Morning, Captain" and "Washer".{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=74}} McMahan was never comfortable taking the role of vocalist and only did so because nobody else in the band would. He considerably increases his range on "Spiderland", incorporating both his earlier whispered and shouting approaches with what biographer Scott Tennent describes as conventional, "actual singing".{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=107}}

The opening track, "Breadcrumb Trail", describes a day at a carnival with a [[Fortune-telling|fortune-teller]]. The song is built from complex guitar arrangement with sharp transitions, during which the guitar fluctuates between a clean-sounding [[riff]] with [[harmonic]]s in the verse to heavy and high pitched [[Distortion (guitar)|distortion]] in the chorus.{{sfn|Maginnis (a)}} "Nosferatu Man" is the second track and was inspired by the 1922 [[German expressionist cinema|German Expressionist]] [[silent film]] ''[[Nosferatu]]''. Its verse includes a [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonant]] guitar riff which uses high-pitched notes similar to those in "Breadcrumb Trail" and a drumbeat centered on [[snare drum|snare]] and [[Tom-tom drum|toms]]. The chorus, featuring "jagged" distorted guitar and a beat with "thrashing cymbals with quick [[Fill (music)|drum fills]]", segues into an extended [[Groove (music)|groove]] before the song ends with 30 seconds of [[Audio feedback|feedback]].{{sfn|Maginnis (b)}}

Walford sings and plays lead guitar on "Don, Aman", a deliberate anagram of [[Madonna]].{{sfn|Shteamer|2020}} Delivered in a hushed tone, the song's ambiguous lyrics depict the thoughts of an "isolated soul" before, during, and after an evening at a bar.{{sfn|Maginnis (c)}} The [[tempo]] quickens as the song develops, becoming loud and distorted at its peak, before slowing back to the original speed.{{sfn|Maginnis (c)}} "Washer" is the album's longest track, and features a low volume intro with guitar and cymbals before the rest of the band joins in the recording. The song builds until the final verse, when the tension is broken by loud distortion, followed by a lengthy [[Conclusion (music)|outro]].{{sfn|Maginnis (d)}} Pajo has said he is particularly proud of the song's one-note guitar solo, admitting that "at that point in my life, if someone asked me to do a solo, I would do the exact opposite of what a solo usually is. Instead of playing a bunch of notes, I would just play one, though I did some decorative stuff around it there. There’re some cool, weird things in that song".{{sfn|Wojtas|2014}}

The instrumental "For Dinner..."  begins with a quiet section of "brooding chords throb[bing] with the occasional rumble of muted toms and bass drum", the song cycles through sections of building and releasing tension.{{sfn|Maginnis (e)}} The guitars employ [[Guitar tunings|standard tuning]], and do not use [[Effects unit|effects pedals]].{{sfn|Wojtas|2014}} The closing song, "Good Morning, Captain", has been described as a tribute to the [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] poem ''[[The Rime of the Ancient Mariner]]''{{sfn|Maginnis (e)}} but the band have denied this.{{sfn|Shteamer|2020}} The song, which Pajo says is his favorite from the album,{{sfn|Wojtas|2014}} is built from a two-chord guitar structure, described as a "spindly, tight riff", and a "jerky" drumbeat.{{sfn|Maginnis (e)}} During the recording of the final chorus, McMahan became physically sick due to the strain of yelling over the guitars.{{sfn|Irvin|2001|p=640}} David Peschek of ''[[The Guardian]]'' compared "Good Morning, Captain" to [[Led Zeppelin]] for its epic scope, though not its bleak mood, writing: "the extraordinary [song] is [Slint's] "[[Stairway to Heaven]]", if it's possible to imagine Stairway to Heaven bleached of all bombast."{{sfn|Peschek|2005}}

== Title and packaging ==
{{Panorama|image=Utica Quarry (panorama).jpg|height=250|caption=Panorama of the [[quarry lake]] in [[Utica Township, Clark County, Indiana|Utica Township, Indiana]], as of August 2022. The black-and-white cover of ''Spiderland'' shows the members of Slint bathing in the secluded lake.|alt=A small lake surrounded by tall limestone cliffs, with spindly trees atop the bluffs.}}

The title originates from McMahan's younger brother, who thought the record sounded "spidery".{{sfn|Irvin|2001|p=640}} Its [[black-and-white]] cover photograph depicts the band members treading water in the lake of an abandoned quarry in [[Utica, Indiana]].{{sfn|Simpson|2014}} The photograph was taken by the musician [[Will Oldham]], who was friends with the band and whose father had taken the photograph on the cover of ''Tweez''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simpson |first=Dave |date=2023-08-24 |title=Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: 'I can't regret working with R Kelly – it made me better able to judge my behaviour and that of others' |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/24/bonnie-prince-billy-i-cant-regret-working-with-r-kelly-it-made-me-better-able-to-judge-my-behaviour-and-that-of-others |access-date=2023-08-24 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> ''[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]]'' credits the image as responsible for the later mystique surrounding the publicity-shy band, and notes how "most people only had seen Slint as four heads floating in a Kentucky quarry on ''Spiderland''{{'}}s cover. Listeners pondered the band's sparsely adorned black-and-white covers as if they were runes bearing secrets."{{sfn|Segal|2005}}

[[File:Bonnie-Prince-Billy-060609 (614bw) (3606166772).jpg|thumb|alt=Black-and-white photograph of a bearded man playing guitar onstage.|The ''Spiderland'' cover photograph was shot by [[Will Oldham]] (''pictured in 2009''), a friend of the band and later musical collaborator with a number of its members.{{sfn|Sarig|1998|p=267}}]]

Chris Gaerig of the ''[[Michigan Daily]]'' wrote that the album cover "captures the joyous fear and violence of the album so precisely it shakes souls. The group—submerged in a lake to their chins with deranged smiles—seems to be stalking you, hovering out of the black-and-white façade."{{sfn|Gaerig|2007}} Several other promotional images have been taken from the same photo session with Oldham.{{Sfn|Southern Records|2009b}}

The photograph on the back cover is of a dead [[wolf spider]], taken by Noel Saltzman, who also took the uncredited cover photo for their [[Untitled Slint EP|untitled 1994 EP]]. Saltzman found the spider in a shed while working his summer job. As it would not remain still enough to be photographed, Saltzman killed, froze, and repositioned it with tweezers to take the shot.{{sfn|Puckett|2014}} The inside sleeve contains the message "interested female vocalists write 1864 douglas blvd. louisville, ky. 40205". The words "this recording is meant to be listened to on vinyl" is printed on some [[Compact Disc|CD]] issues, indicating Slint's preference for [[analog signal|analog]] audio devices.{{sfn|Zoladz|2013}}

== Reception ==
{{Music ratings
| subtitle = Reviews prior to the 2014 reissue
| rev1 = ''[[AllMusic|All Music Guide]]''{{clear}}{{resize|(2001, 4th ed.)}}
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{sfn|Carlson|2001|p=369}}
| rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|Christgau's Consumer Guide]]''{{clear}}{{resize|(2000)}}
| rev2score = C+{{sfn|Christgau|2000|p=285}}
| rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''{{clear}}{{resize|(1998, 3rd ed.)}}
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Larkin|1998a|p=4969}}
| rev4 = ''[[Kerrang!]]'' {{resize|(2011)}}
| rev4score = 4/5{{sfn|McMahon|2011|p=105}}
| rev5 = ''[[Melody Maker]]'' {{resize|(1991)}}
| rev5score = "Ten fucking stars"{{sfn|Albini|1991|p=35}}
| rev6 = ''[[NME]]'' {{resize|(1991)}}
| rev6score = 7/10{{sfn|Pouncey|1991|p=36}}
| rev7 = {{nowrap|''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''}}{{clear}}{{resize|(2004, [[The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|4th ed.]])}}
| rev7score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{sfn|Randall|2004|p=744}}
| rev8 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]'' {{resize|(1991)}}
| rev8score = 4/5{{sfn|Noon|1991|p=73}}
| rev9 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''{{clear}}{{resize|(1995)}}
| rev9score = 8/10{{sfn|Sutton|1995|p=373}}

}}

The band had broken up by the time Touch and Go were preparing for the album's release.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|pp=131–132}} As a result, a planned tour of Europe was canceled and the album received minimal promotion.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=131}} It thus failed to attract an audience, make an impression on [[Campus radio|college radio]], or [[Record chart|chart]] in either the US or the UK.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=137}}{{sfn|Larkin|1998b|p=5075}}{{sfn|Bangs|2014|loc=1:20:28–1:20:50}} The album went virtually unnoticed by the American music press or [[zines]].{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=137}} ''[[Maximumrocknroll]]'' described it as "genius", but only during a passing mention midway through a column on the Kentucky scene.{{sfn|Lutz|1991|p=59}} The writer for ''[[Flipside (fanzine)|Flipside]]'' was unable to review the album as he had received a damaged copy from the label, and did not ask to have it replaced.{{sfn|Dominguez|1991|p=103}} McMahan admits that while the band did not seek to engage with journalists, "there wasn't really a huge infrastructure for getting information out on a broad scale. We definitely avoided it."<ref name="Mojo"/>

The UK music press were the first to report on the album. [[Savage Pencil|Edwin Pouncey]] reviewed it in the March 23, 1991 issue of ''[[NME]]'', finding its sound indebted to [[Sonic Youth]] but concluding that "something original squirms at the core of Slint. Perhaps next time they'll reveal all."{{sfn|Pouncey|1991|p=36}} Albini, who produced ''Tweez'', wrote a review for ''[[Melody Maker]]'' published the following week. He praised the music's originality and emotional intensity, as well as the clarity and immediacy of Paulson's production. He claimed that ''Tweez''—which he produced—only "hints at their genius" but had little of the "staying power" manifested on ''Spiderland''. He awarded the album "ten fucking stars" and predicted that it would rise in stature, writing "It's an amazing record{{nbsp}}... and no one still capable of being moved by rock music should miss it. In 10 years it will be a landmark and you'll have to scramble to buy a copy then."{{sfn|Albini|1991|p=35}}

The album sold only a few thousand copies within the first year.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=3}} Even a few years later it was estimated to have sold fewer than 5,000 copies.{{sfn|Simpson|2014}} Slint remained an obscure local act in the period leading up to the album's release.{{sfn|Baines|2021}} By the time it came out, the band had already broken up and its members had moved on to new projects, believing that Slint would be "just another blip".{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=136}}

In the February issue of ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]'', reviewer Mike Noon praised its "creeping success", but cautioned that the band's sound would take time to fully appreciate.{{sfn|Noon|1991|p=73}} In September 1992, Ben Thompson reviewed both ''Spiderland'' and ''Tweez'' for ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]'', and while the band's reputation had grown by that time, wrote that bands "like [[Pavement (band)|Pavement]]" were "hailing them as guiding lights for a new obliqueness". "It's not surprising these records confused people on first release", he wrote, in part because listeners had been primed to expect straightforward [[noise rock]]—a "total [[red herring]]" that concealed the band's "alarmingly introverted" sound. Thompson found ''Spiderland'' accessible but wrote that it "demands that you push your head up right close to the speakers (or buy some headphones) if you want to find out what is being said and sung."{{sfn|Thompson|1992|p=69}} According to biographer Scott Tennent, the laudatory review of the ''Melody Maker'' failed to attract commercial interest, but over the years succeeded in rescuing the album from an otherwise-assured relegation to obscurity.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|pp=3, 83, 137–138}}

== Legacy ==

''Spiderland'' is considered a major influence on the [[post-rock]] bands [[Godspeed You! Black Emperor]], [[Isis (band)|Isis]] and [[Explosions in the Sky]].{{sfn|Goldberg|2007}} [[Lou Barlow]] of [[Dinosaur Jr.]] and [[Sebadoh]] said the album was "quiet-to-loud" while still sounding like nothing before, as if "a new kind of music."{{sfn|Irvin|2001|p=640}} [[Mogwai]]'s [[Stuart Braithwaite]] was struck by the "psychic playing" evident on ''Spiderland'', stating "when I heard it, it was unlike anything I’d heard before. I still don’t know if I have heard anything else like it, now. Obviously a lot of bands take a lot from it – I know that we did."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Braithwaite |first1=Stuart |last2=Diver |first2=Mike |date=2014 |title=Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite On Slint's 'Spiderland' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/mogwais-stuart-braithwaite-on-slints-spiderland/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002130929/https://www.clashmusic.com/features/mogwais-stuart-braithwaite-on-slints-spiderland/ |archive-date=October 2, 2022 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |website=clashmusic.com}}</ref> [[PJ Harvey]] included ''Spiderland'' in her 1992 "Ten For Today" list of records,{{sfn|Blandford|2004|p=37}} while [[Bob Nastanovich]] of Pavement ranked it as among his favorite albums.{{sfn|Jovanovic|2004|p=129}}

Its cover was recreated by [[The Shins]] in the music video for "[[New Slang]]".{{sfn|Mercer|2002}} The album is regarded as essential to "the fabric of [[math-rock]] genre".{{sfn|Diver|2008}} Peschek described it as "the ur-text for what became known as post-rock, a fractured, almost geometric reimagining of rock music stripped of its dionysiac impulse."{{sfn|Peschek|2005}} Rachel Devine of ''[[The List (magazine)|The List]]'' called ''Spiderland'' "arguably the most disproportionately influential [album] in music history".{{sfn|Devine|2007}}  ''Pitchfork''{{'}}s Stuart Berman noted how the album "motivated a cluster of semi-popular bands in the late-90s and early 2000s to adopt its whisper-to-scream schematic. It's the boundless inspiration it perpetually provides for all the bands that have yet to emerge from the basement."<ref name="pitchfork"/> In 2015, ''[[Gigwise]]'' named the album in their list of "The 11 most vicious [[post-hardcore]] albums ever."{{sfn|Butler|2015}}

In the 2010s AllMusic's Mark Deming described it as one of the most singular and [[List of 1990s albums considered the best|important albums of the '90s]],{{sfn|Deming|n.d.}} and in 2003, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' named it the twelfth best album of the 1990s.{{Sfn|Pitchfork|2003}} [[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact magazine]] would also rate it the third best album of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.factmag.com/2012/09/03/the-100-best-albums-of-the-1990s-100-81/|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s|access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref> In 2024, ''[[The Independent]]'' ranked it number five on their list of the 20 most underrated albums ever.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Beaumont |first1=Mark |author-link1=Mark Beaumont (journalist) |last2=O'Connor |first2=Roisin |date=2024-10-19 |title=The 20 most underrated albums ever |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/underrated-albums-britney-spears-charli-xcx-b2631613.html |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> Writing in 2000, [[Robert Christgau]] was less enthusiastic, and said that despite their "sad-sack affect", Slint are actually "[[Art rock|art-rockers]] without the courage of their pretensions", and noted that the lyrics were not to his liking.{{sfn|Christgau|2000|p=285}} In ''[[The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'', journalist Mac Randall felt even though it is more accessible than ''Tweez'', "[t]he absence of anything resembling a tune continues to nag".{{sfn|Randall|2004|p=744}} Touch and Go founder Corey Rusk observed how ''Spiderland'' is "like an icon now. But when it came out, nobody cared! The band had broken up by the time the album came out, and it really didn't sell particularly well or get written about all that much in the year it was released. But it was a revolutionary, groundbreaking record, and it's one of the few instances where people catch up to it later on."{{sfn|Crock|2006}}

=== Reunions ===

[[File:Spiderland advert.JPG| thumb|left|upright=1| Billboard promoting Slint's performance of the album at the 2007 [[Pitchfork Music Festival]] ]]
After Slint's break-up in November 1990,{{sfn|Bangs|2014}} the members went on to play in other projects, notably [[Tortoise (band)|Tortoise]], [[The Breeders]], [[Will Oldham|Palace]] and [[The For Carnation]].{{sfn|Ankeny}} They reunited briefly in 2005 for an eighteen-date tour. Pajo said that they didn't "want to be a reunion band that keeps reuniting.&nbsp;... I know that this is going to be it."{{sfn|Harrington|2005}} Their 2007 performance of the album at [[All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties]]' "[[Don't Look Back (concert series)|Don't Look Back]]" concert series celebrating classic albums{{Sfn|''NME''|2007}} lead to a tour that included an appearance at the 2007 [[Pitchfork Music Festival]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Pitchfork Music Festival 2007: Friday |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/6649-pitchfork-music-festival-2007-friday/ |date=July 15, 2007 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] }}</ref> and [[Primavera Sound]] festival.{{sfn|Turner|2014}}

Critics differed in their assessment of the reunion. Some viewed the band's studio-based music as fundamentally unsuited to a live setting. [[Jim DeRogatis]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''  wrote that although "fans greeted [Slint's performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival] as manna from heaven.&nbsp;[...] the musicians' fragile, intertwining guitar lines, mumbled attempts at poetry and uninspiring [[shoegazing|shoegazer]] personas were poor matches for the setting and the occasion."{{sfn|DeRogatis|2007}} Both DeRogatis and ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' noted that the band's performance was plagued by sound problems.{{sfn|Gordon|Modell|O'Neal|Ryan|2007}}{{sfn|DeRogatis|2007b}} According to ''[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]'' reviewer Nick Catucci, their "deeply brooding, fussily-executed album finally sounded, sixteen years later...like the existential, cosmos-annihilating shrug it was envisioned as. Which is to say: It sounded fucking great."{{sfn|Catucci|2007}}

==Remastered box set==
{{Infobox album
| name         = Spiderland {{resize|{{noitalic|(remastered)}}}}
| type         = Box set
| artist       = [[Slint]]
| cover        = Spiderland (2014 box set).jpg
| alt          = Photograph of a quarry lake at night.
| released     = {{Start date|2014|4|15}}
| recorded     = 1989–1992
| length       = {{Duration|m=118|s=35}} {{resize|+{{nbsp}}[[Breadcrumb Trail (film)|DVD]]}}
| label        = [[Touch and Go Records|Touch and Go]]
| producer     = [[Bob Weston]] {{resize|(remastering)}}
}}

{{Music ratings
| subtitle = 2014 box set
| MC = 99/100<ref>{{cite web |title=''Spiderland'' [Box Set] by Slint |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/spiderland-box-set/slint |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712050251/https://www.metacritic.com/music/spiderland-box-set/slint |archive-date=July 12, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=June 25, 2014 }}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |title=''Spiderland'' – Slint |publisher=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/spiderland-mw0000267497 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518231326/https://www.allmusic.com/album/spiderland-mw0000267497 |archive-date=May 18, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=March 30, 2018 }}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| rev2score = A<ref>{{cite web |last=Eakin |first=Marah |date=April 15, 2014 |title=Slint's ''Spiderland'' box rewards patient listeners, patient fans |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |url=https://www.avclub.com/slint-s-spiderland-box-rewards-patient-listeners-patie-1798180170 |access-date=April 6, 2021 }}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]''
| rev3score  = 10/10<ref name="clash">{{Cite web |last=Diver |first=Mike |date=2014-04-10 |title=Slint - Spiderland {{!}} Reviews |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/slint-spiderland |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=Clash}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Mojo">{{cite web |last=Male |first=Andrew |date=March 26, 2014 |title=Slint's ''Spiderland'': Myth, Math & Metallica |website=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |location=London |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/13096/slint-spiderland-inside-box-set-interviews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624050721/https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/13096/slint-spiderland-inside-box-set-interviews |archive-date=June 24, 2019 |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|Male|2014a}} }}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''
| rev5score = 9.0/10<ref name="Paste">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/slint-spiderland-remaster-review|title=Slint: Spiderland Remaster|first=Mark|last=Lore|date=April 18, 2014|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|access-date=June 28, 2025}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev6score = 10/10<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web |last=Berman |first=Stuart |date=April 16, 2014 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19182-slint-spiderland-remastered-box-set/ |access-date=April 6, 2021 }}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[PopMatters]]''
| rev7score = 9/10<ref name="PopMatters">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/180760-slint-spiderland-deluxe-box-set-2495669259.html|title=Slint: Spiderland: Deluxe Box Set|last=Fiander|first=Matthew|date=April 18, 2014|access-date=June 29, 2025|work=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Perry |first=Andrew |date=May 2014 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |location=London |issue=334}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Atkins |first=Jamie |date=April 2014 |title=''Spiderland'' {{!}} Slint |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |location=London |issue=426 |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/spiderland |access-date=June 9, 2014 }}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = 9/10<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Pattison |first=Louis |date=May 2014 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' Boxset (Touch and Go) |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |location=London |issue=204}}</ref>
}}

In 2014, Touch and Go reissued ''Tweez'' and a version of ''Spiderland'' remastered by [[Bob Weston]] from the original [[Analog signal|analog]] master-tapes.<ref>"[https://touchandgorecords.com/bands/album.php?id=502 Spiderland (remastered)]". Touch and Go. Retrieved April 24, 2021</ref> The bonus tracks were selected by the band and include demos, outtakes and a live performance. The transitional songs (written after ''Tweez'', but before the bulk of the ''Spiderland'' tracks) "Pam" and "Glenn" (whose recording has been described as containing one of the best drum sounds Albini ever achieved){{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=72}} were recorded during the ''Spiderland'' sessions but failed to make the album.{{sfn|Minsker|2014}}

== Track listing ==
All songs written by Slint, except track 3 which was exclusively written by Britt Walford.
{{Track listing
| title1=Breadcrumb Trail
| length1=5:55
| title2=Nosferatu Man
| length2=5:35
| title3=Don, Aman
| length3=6:28
| title4=Washer
| length4=8:50
| title5=For Dinner...
| length5=5:05
| title6=Good Morning, Captain
| length6=7:38
| total_length=39:31
}}
{{Track listing
| headline=Digital bonus track
| title7=Utica Quarry, Nighttime
| length7=15:38
| total_length=55:09
}}
{{Track listing
| headline        = 2014 Deluxe Remastered Version
| title1=Breadcrumb Trail|note1=Remastered
| length1=5:54
| title2=Nosferatu Man |note2=Remastered
| length2=5:34
| title3=Don, Aman |note3=Remastered
| length3=6:27
| title4=Washer |note4=Remastered
| length4=8:49
| title5=For Dinner... |note5=Remastered
| length5=5:05
| title6=Good Morning, Captain |note6=Remastered
| length6=7:41
| title7=Nosferatu Man |note7=Basement practice
| length7=7:05
| title8=Washer |note8=Basement practice
| length8=4:48
| title9=Good Morning, Captain |note9=[[Demo (music)|Demo]]
| length9=7:34
| title10=Pam |note10=Rough [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mix]] of ''Spiderland'' [[outtake]]
| length10=4:44
| title11=Glenn |note11=''Spiderland'' outtake
| length11=7:59
| title12=Todd's Song |note12=Post-''Spiderland'' song in progress
| length12=7:22
| title13=Brian's Song |note13=Post-''Spiderland'' demo
| length13=5:57
| title14=[[Cortez the Killer]] |note14=Live in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], March 3, 1989
| length14=8:36
| title15=Washer |note15=[[Multitrack recording|4-track]] vocal demo
| length15=7:21
| title16=Nosferatu Man |note16=4-track vocal demo
| length16=5:23
| title17=Pam |note17=4-track vocal demo
| length17=3:33
| title18=Good Morning, Captain |note18=Evanston Riff tape
| length18=0:45
| title19=Nosferatu Man |note19=Evanston Riff tape
| length19=3:18
| title20=Pam |note20=Evanston Riff tape
| length20=4:39
| total_length=118:34
}}

== Personnel ==
The album packaging omitted the band members' names.{{sfn|Olsen|2014}} The lineup credits below are adapted from ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'' (1999) by [[Martin C. Strong]].{{sfn|Strong|1999|p=579}} Walford performed vocals and guitar on "Don, Aman", accompanied by Pajo on guitar.{{sfn|Tennent|2011|p=100}}

;Slint
* Todd Brashear&nbsp;– [[bass guitar]] {{small|(tracks 1–2, 4–6)}}
* [[David Pajo]]&nbsp;– [[guitar]] {{small|(tracks 1–6)}}
* [[Brian McMahan]]&nbsp;– [[Singing|vocals]] {{small|(tracks 1–4, 6)}}; guitar {{small|(tracks 1–2, 4–6)}}
* [[Britt Walford]]&nbsp;– [[Drum kit|drums]] {{small|(tracks 1–2, 4–6)}}; vocals {{small|(tracks 2, 3, 6)}}, guitar {{small|(track 3)}}

;Other personnel
* [[Will Oldham]]&nbsp;– [[Cover art|photography]] ("band photo")
* [[Brian Paulson]]&nbsp;– [[audio engineer|engineering]]
* Noel Saltzman&nbsp;– photography ("spider photo")

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats for ''Spiderland''
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Label(s)
! scope="col"| Format(s)
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| Various
| March 27, 1991
| rowspan="6"| {{hlist|[[Touch and Go Records]]}}
| {{hlist|[[Compact Disc|CD]]|[[LP Record|vinyl]]}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| United States & Canada
| 1995
| CD
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| USA
| Jan 20, 2004
| Vinyl
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| USA
| 2011
| CD
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| USA, Canada and Japan
| 2014
| CD, vinyl
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| USA
| 2022
| Vinyl
|}

== Accolades ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Publication
! Country
! Accolade
! Year
! Rank
|-
!scope="row"| ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| United States
| Top 100 Albums of the 1990s
| 1999
| 12{{Sfn|Pitchfork|2003}}
|-
!scope="row"| ''[[NME]]''
|  United Kingdom
|[[NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]] 
|2013
|314{{Sfn|''COS''|2013}}
|-
!scope="row"| ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| United States
| 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005
| 2005
| 94{{Sfn|Hermes|2005}}
|}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|35em}}
*{{cite magazine |last=Albini |first=Steve |author-link=Steve Albini |date=March 30, 1991 |title=Arachnophobia |magazine=[[Melody Maker]] |location=London}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/slint-mn0000751604 |title=Slint – Music Biography, Credits and Discography |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=April 6, 2021 }}
*{{cite web |last=Anon. |date=n.d. |title=''Spiderland'' [Box Set] by Slint |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/spiderland-box-set/slint |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712050251/https://www.metacritic.com/music/spiderland-box-set/slint |archive-date=July 12, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=June 25, 2014 |ref={{harvid|Metacritic|n.d.}} }}
*{{cite magazine |last=Atkins |first=Jamie |date=April 2014 |title=''Spiderland'' {{!}} Slint |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |location=London |issue=426 |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/spiderland |access-date=June 9, 2014 }}
*{{cite news |last=Baines |first=Huw |title=The Genius of Spiderland by Slint |work=[[Guitar.com|Guitar]] |url=https://guitar.com/review/album/the-genius-of-spiderland-by-slint/ |date=March 17, 2021 |access-date=April 24, 2021 }}
*{{cite AV media |people=[[Lance Bangs|Bangs, Lance]] (director) |date=2014 |title=[[Breadcrumb Trail (film)|Breadcrumb Trail]] |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Touch and Go Records]] |location=Chicago |ref={{harvid|Bangs|2014}}}}
*{{cite web |last=Berman |first=Stuart |date=April 16, 2014 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19182-slint-spiderland-remastered-box-set/ |access-date=April 6, 2021 }}
*{{cite book |last=Blandford |first=James R. |year=2004 |title=PJ Harvey: Siren Rising |location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=1-84449-433-0 }}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.gigwise.com/photos/104217/welcome-back-glassjaw:-the-11-most-vicious-post-hardcore-albums-ever|title=Welcome back Glassjaw: The 11 most vicious post-hardcore albums ever|last=Butler|first=Will|date=December 2, 2015|website=[[Gigwise]]|access-date=January 14, 2022}}
*{{cite book |last=Carlson |first=Dean |year=2001 |chapter=''Spiderland'' / 1991 / Touch & Go |editor1-last=Bogdanov |editor1-first=Vladimir |editor1-link=Vladimir Bogdanov (editor) |editor2-last=Woodstra |editor2-first=Chris |editor3-last=Erlewine |editor3-first=Stephen Thomas |editor3-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music |title-link=AllMusic |edition=4th |publisher=[[Backbeat Books]] |location=San Francisco |isbn=0-87930-627-0 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidedef00bogd/page/368/mode/2up |chapter-url-access=registration |via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}} }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2007/07/slint_plays_a_funeral_mass_for.html |title=Slint Plays a Funeral Mass for the Album – Vulture |last=Catucci |first=Nick |date=July 18, 2007 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |access-date=March 5, 2021 }}
*{{cite book |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |year=2000 |chapter=Slint: ''Spiderland'' (Touch and Go '91) |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s |title-link=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s |publisher=[[St. Martin's Griffin]] |location=New York |isbn=0-312-24560-2}}
*{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6419-corey-rusk/ |title=Interviews: Corey Rusk |last=Crock |first=Jason |date=September 5, 2006 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=October 14, 2012 |archive-date=March 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330160148/https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/6419-corey-rusk/ |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |date=n.d. |title=''Spiderland'' – Slint |publisher=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/spiderland-mw0000267497 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518231326/https://www.allmusic.com/album/spiderland-mw0000267497 |archive-date=May 18, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=March 30, 2018 }}
*{{cite news |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |title=Pitchfork Music Fest Diary and Features |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=July 15, 2007}}
*{{cite news |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |date=July 16, 2007 |title=Indie Oasis |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=http://www.jimdero.com/News2007/Pitchforkroundup.htm |access-date=April 6, 2021 |ref={{harvid|DeRogatis|2007b}} }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.list.co.uk/article/4190-90s-revival/ |title=90s Revival – Back for Good |last=Devine |first=Rachel |date=August 16, 2007 |website=[[The List (magazine)|The List]] |access-date=April 5, 2021 }}
*{{cite web |last=Eakin |first=Marah |date=April 15, 2014 |title=Slint's ''Spiderland'' box rewards patient listeners, patient fans |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |url=https://www.avclub.com/slint-s-spiderland-box-rewards-patient-listeners-patie-1798180170 |access-date=April 6, 2021 }}
*{{cite news |url=https://www.sfweekly.com/music/the-last-time-we-reunite-except-for-that-next-time/article_3b1df2ac-5c42-5970-b85b-6360de5d651f.html|last=Goldberg |first=Michael Alan |date=July 18, 2007 |title=The Last Time We Reunite (Except for That Next Time) |newspaper=[[SF Weekly]]}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/festival-diary-the-2007-pitchfork-music-festival-1798212073 |title=Festival Diary: The 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival |last1=Gordon |first1=Scott |last2=Modell |first2=Josh |last3=O'Neal |first3=Sean |last4=Ryan |first4=Kyle |date=July 18, 2007 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=April 24, 2021 }}
*{{cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |date=March 18, 2005 |title='Post-Rock' Slint Briefly Reunites |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=http://www.staugustine.com/stories/032505/com_2970671.shtml |access-date=October 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206064103/http://www.staugustine.com/stories/032505/com_2970671.shtml |archive-date=February 6, 2012 }}
*{{cite web | last=Diver | first=Mike | url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3205162-math-rock-family-tree--exploring-the-roots-of-foals | title=Math-Rock Family Tree: exploring the roots of Foals | publisher=[[Drowned in Sound]] | date=April 24, 2008 | access-date=April 5, 2021 | archive-date=March 30, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330155138/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3205162-math-rock-family-tree--exploring-the-roots-of-foals | url-status=dead }}
*{{cite magazine |last=Dominguez |first=Kirk ("Krk") |date=September–October 1991 |title=Slint – ''Spiderland'' LP |magazine=[[Flipside (fanzine)|Flipside]] |location=Los Angeles |issue=74 |url=https://archive.org/details/flipside_74/page/n103 |via=the [[Internet Archive]] }}
*{{cite news |url=http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2007/09/20/TheBSide/Cover.Stories-2980669.shtml |title=Cover Stories – The B-Side |last=Gaerig |first=Chris |date=September 20, 2007 |work=[[Michigan Daily]] |access-date=April 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220222104/http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2007/09/20/TheBSide/Cover.Stories-2980669.shtml |archive-date=February 20, 2008 }}
*{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p6-UYTO7l1MC&q=slint|last=Hermes |first=Will |author-link=Will Hermes |date=July 2005 |title=Slint – ''Spiderland'' |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|page=92}}
*{{cite book |last=Irvin |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Irvin |year=2001 |title=The Mojo Collection: The Greatest Albums of All Time |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Mojo Books |isbn=1-84195-067-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Jovanovic |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Jovanovic |year=2004 |title=Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement |title-link=Perfect Sound Forever (book) |location=Boston |publisher=Justin, Charles & Co. |isbn=1-932112-07-3}}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Larkin |editor-first=Colin |editor-link=Colin Larkin |year=1998 |chapter=Slint |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |edition=3rd |volume=VI |publisher=[[Muze]] |location=London |isbn=0-333-74134-X |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpo06lark/page/4968/mode/2up |chapter-url-access=registration |via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}} |ref={{harvid|Larkin|1998a}} }}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Larkin |editor-first=Colin |year=1998 |chapter=''Spiderland'' – Slint |page=5075 |title=[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]] |edition=3rd |volume=VII |publisher=[[Muze]] |location=London |isbn=0-333-74134-X |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpop700lark/page/5074/mode/2up |chapter-url-access=registration |via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}} |ref={{harvid|Larkin|1998b}} }}
*{{cite magazine |last=Lutz |first=Ramona |date=September–October 1991 |title=Scene Reports: Kentucky |magazine=[[Maximumrocknroll]] |location=San Francisco |issue=74 |url=https://archive.org/details/mrr_103/page/n57 |via=the [[Internet Archive]] }}
*{{cite web |last=Male |first=Andrew |date=March 26, 2014 |title=Slint's ''Spiderland'': Myth, Math & Metallica |website=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |location=London |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/13096/slint-spiderland-inside-box-set-interviews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624050721/https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/13096/slint-spiderland-inside-box-set-interviews |archive-date=June 24, 2019 |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|Male|2014a}} }}
*{{cite magazine |last=Male |first=Andrew |date=May 2014 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' |magazine=Mojo |location=London |issue=246 |ref={{harvid|Male|2014b}}}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/breadcrumb-trail-mt0008849294 |title=Breadcrumb Trail |last=Maginnis |first=Tom |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=April 24, 2021 |ref={{harvid|Maginnis (a)}} }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/nosferatu-man-mt0000860534 |title=Nosferatu Man |last=Maginnis |first=Tom |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=April 24, 2021 |ref={{harvid|Maginnis (b)}} }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/don-aman-mt0000298526 |title=Don, Aman – Slint |last=Maginnis |first=Tom |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=April 24, 2021 |ref={{harvid|Maginnis (c)}} }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/washer-mt0004679278 |title=Washer |last=Maginnis |first=Tom |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=April 24, 2021 |ref={{harvid|Maginnis (d)}} }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/for-dinner-mt0003956572 |title=For Dinner... |last=Maginnis |first=Tom |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=April 24, 2021 |ref={{harvid|Maginnis (e)}} }}
*{{cite magazine |last=McMahon |first=James |date=November 2011 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' |magazine=[[Kerrang!]]: 666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die! |location=London}}
*{{cite news |url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/2002-07-11/music/the-shins/ |title=The Shins |newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]] |last=Mercer |first=Ben |date=July 11, 2002 |access-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-date=March 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330160722/http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/the-shins-6389981 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite news |last=Minsker |first=Evan |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/53769-slints-spiderland-gets-deluxe-box-set-reissue/ |title=Slint's Spiderland Gets Deluxe Box Set Reissue |newspaper=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=January 30, 2014 |access-date=April 4, 2021 }}
*{{cite magazine |last=Noon |first=Mike |date=February 1991 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' (Touch and Go T&G 64/CD) |department=Reviews: The New Discs |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |location=London |issue=8 |url=https://selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk/showpage.php?file=wp-content/uploads/2016/08/albums4.jpg |via=selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719155743/https://selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk/showpage.php?file=wp-content/uploads/2016/08/albums4.jpg |archive-date=July 19, 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=June 23, 2021 }}
*{{cite news |last=Olsen |first=Mark |date=March 18, 2014 |title='Breadcrumb Trail' doc untangles Slint's album 'Spiderland' |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-breadcrumb-trail-doc-untangles-slints-album-spiderland-20140317-story.html |via=LATimes.com {{subscription required}} |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419204211/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-breadcrumb-trail-doc-untangles-slints-album-spiderland-20140317-story.html |archive-date=April 19, 2017 }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A23657 |title=''Independent Weekly'': Special Issues: Rock & Roll Quarterly: Brian Paulson |last=Parker |first=Chris |date=February 9, 2005 |website=[[Independent Weekly]] |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330130145/https://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/brian-paulson/Content?oid=1194172 |archive-date=March 30, 2018 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite magazine |last=Pattison |first=Louis |date=May 2014 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' Boxset (Touch and Go) |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |location=London |issue=204}}
*{{cite magazine |last=Perry |first=Andrew |date=May 2014 |title=Slint: ''Spiderland'' |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |location=London |issue=334}}
*{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/feb/28/popandrock.alltomorrowsparties |title=Slint, Camber Sands Holiday Centre |last=Peschek |first=David |date=February 28, 2005 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=October 13, 2012 }}
*{{cite magazine |last=Pouncey |first=Edwin |author-link=Savage Pencil |date=March 23, 1991 |title=Codeine: ''Frigid Stars'' (Sub Pop Europe LP/CD) / Slint: ''Spiderland'' (Touch and Go LP/CD) / Steel Pole Bathtub: ''Tulip'' (Boner/Tupelo LP/CD) |magazine=[[NME]] |location=London}}
*{{cite news |last=Puckett |first=Jeffrey Lee |date=April 16, 2014 |title=Slint Week peaks; spider photo story finally told |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]] |location=[[Louisville, Kentucky]] |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/tune-in-louisville/2014/04/16/slint-concert-louisville/7782629/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200714235849/https://www.courier-journal.com/story/tune-in-louisville/2014/04/16/slint-concert-louisville/7782629/ |archive-date=July 14, 2020 }}
*{{cite book |last=Randall |first=Mac |year=2004 |chapter=Slint |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |edition=4th |publisher=[[Fireside Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/744 |chapter-url-access=registration |via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}} }}
*{{cite book |last=Sarig |first=Roni |year=1998 |title=The Secret History of Rock: The Most Influential Bands You've Never Heard |publisher=[[Billboard Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-8230-7669-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/secrethistoryofr00sari |via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}} }}
*{{cite news |last=Segal |first=Dave |date=March 10, 2005 |title=Slint's Casual Comeback |newspaper=[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]] |url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=20786 |access-date=April 6, 2021 }}
*{{cite news |last=Shteamer |first=Hank |date=March 25, 2020 |title=Kids Being Kids: Slint Look Back on 'Spiderland' at 30 |newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/slint-spiderland-interview-1144942/ |access-date=March 26, 2021 }}
*{{cite news |last=Simpson |first=Dave |date=May 1, 2014 |title=''Spiderland'' by Slint: the album that reinvented rock |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/01/spiderland-slint-album-reinvented-rock |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315123159/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/01/spiderland-slint-album-reinvented-rock |archive-date=March 15, 2020 }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.southern.com/southern/band/SLINT/biog.html |title=Slint |website=[[Southern Records]] |access-date=October 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716153944/http://www.southern.com/southern/band/SLINT/biog.html |archive-date=July 16, 2009 |ref={{harvid|Southern Records|2009a}} }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.nme.com/news/nme/27283 |title=Slint Announce More Performances of Spiderland |date=March 23, 2007 |website=NME |access-date=April 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006132822/http://www.nme.com/news/nme/27283 |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |ref={{harvid|''NME''|2007}} }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.southern.com/southern/band/SLINT/gallery.html |title=Slint Gallery |website=[[Southern Records]] |access-date=October 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803222536/http://www.southern.com/southern/band/SLINT/gallery.html |archive-date=August 3, 2009 |ref={{harvid|Southern Records|2009b}} }}
*{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/9/ |title=Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s |date=November 17, 2003 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=October 13, 2012 |ref={{harvid|Pitchfork|2003}} |archive-date=December 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229144713/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/9/ |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin C. |author-link=Martin C. Strong |year=1999 |chapter=Slint |title=The Great Alternative & Indie Discography |publisher=[[Canongate Books]] |location=[[Edinburgh]] |isbn=0-86241-913-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/greatalternative0000stro |url-access=registration |via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}} }}
*{{cite book |last=Sutton |first=Terri |year=1995 |chapter=Squirrel Bait |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-679-75574-8}}
*{{cite book |last=Tennent |first=Scott |title=Spiderland |year=2011 |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]] |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4411-7026-2 |series=[[33⅓]] |volume=75}}
*{{Cite web|date=October 25, 2013|title=The Top 500 Albums of All Time, according to NME|url=https://consequence.net/2013/10/the-top-500-albums-of-all-time-according-to-nme/|access-date=March 27, 2021|website=[[Consequence of Sound]]|ref={{harvid|''COS''|2013}}}}
*{{cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Ben |date=September 1992 |title=Slint – ''Tweez'' [Jennifer Harman 138 CD] ''Spiderland'' [Touch & Go LP 64 LP] |department=Soundcheck |magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]] |location=London |issue=103 |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/35305/page/69 |url-access=subscription |via=[[Exact Editions]] {{subscription required}} }}
*{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Luke |date=July 11, 2014 |title=Mogwai On Julia Brightly Tribute |newspaper=[[The Quietus]] |location=London |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/15735-julia-brightly-tribute-gig |access-date=April 5, 2021 }}
*{{cite web |last=Wojtas |first=Michael |date=October 15, 2014 |title=Track-By-Track: Slint on Spiderland – Slint's David Pajo Takes Us Inside the Mysterious Classic |website=[[Under the Radar (magazine)|Under the Radar]] |location=[[Lexington, Virginia]] |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/track-by-track_slint_on_spiderland |access-date=May 29, 2021 }}
*{{cite news|last=Zoladz|first=Lindsay|date=July 16, 2013|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/16-please-listen-on-speakers-loud-an-incomplete-collection-of-bossy-liner-notes|title=Please Listen On Speakers, Loud: An Incomplete Collection of Bossy Liner Notes|magazine=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=April 24, 2021}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
*{{Musicbrainz release group|e9f4b96a-94df-36be-9659-c9a811caead6}}
{{Featured article}}

{{Slint}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1991 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Brian Paulson]]
[[Category:Slint albums]]
[[Category:Touch and Go Records albums]]