Slint
Encyclopedia
Slint was an American
rock
band consisting of Brian McMahan
(guitar and vocals), David Pajo
(guitar), Britt Walford
(drums), Todd Brashear (bass on Spiderland) and Ethan Buckler (bass on Tweez). They formed in Louisville
, Kentucky
, United States
in 1986 and disbanded following the recording of their second album, Spiderland, in 1991.
Slint started mathrock.
The band reformed to play a number of live shows in 2005 and 2007, though they released no new material.
, though Walford left the band following their first recording session. Prior to Slint, Pajo and Walford (and, briefly, McMahan) were also in the band Maurice
with future members of Kinghorse. Walford, Pajo, and Buckler played their first show together in 1985 under the name Small Tight Dirty Tufts of Hair; BEADS.
Slint's first album Tweez was recorded by Steve Albini
in 1987 and released in obscurity on the Jennifer Hartman Records label in 1989. It was followed two years later by the critically acclaimed Spiderland
, released on Touch and Go Records
and recorded by Brian Paulson
. Considered a seminal work, Spiderland is an album characterized by dark, syncopated
rhythms, sparse guitar lines and haunting subject matter. The record's impact was such that many fans and critics have suggested it is the first true post-rock album, helping to usher in a new wave of bands seeking a move away from the unfettered aggression of hardcore punk
but not its underlying ethic. The cover of Spiderland is from a series of photos of the band taken by the Louisville actor/singer-musician Will Oldham
. Spiderland culminates in the baleful "Good Morning, Captain", perhaps their most recognized track (it would later feature on the soundtrack to the Larry Clark
film Kids
). Touch and Go Records reissued Tweez in 1993. Finally, in 1994 a brief untitled EP
was released after the band broke up. This two-song record was actually recorded in 1989 and was originally intended to be released as a 12" single on Jennifer Hartman Records. Original copies of the Tweez LP included a flyer advertisement for the 12" as an insert. However, Slint signed to Touch & Go Records before it was sent to press and the master tapes were shelved. It contained a previously unreleased track ("Glenn") and a reinterpretation of "Rhoda" from Tweez.
Members of Slint have since appeared in a number of bands. In 2009, former guitarist David Pajo
performed with Yeah Yeah Yeahs
as a live back-up musician. He briefly played bass in Interpol
, and performs under the moniker PAJO and occasionally with his band Papa M. Pajo has also been a member of Dead Child
, Tortoise
, Palace
, The For Carnation
, and the short-lived Billy Corgan
-fronted rock band Zwan
. Guitarist Brian McMahan formed The For Carnation
in 1994 and also played with Will Oldham
in Palace. Britt Walford played drums in Evergreen, and for The Breeders
under the pseudonym Shannon Doughton on the album Pod and as Mike Hunt on the Safari EP. Ethan Buckler plays in King Kong
(the original line up of Slint makes up King Kong on the 1989 7" "Movie Star").
Nearly fifteen years after disbanding, three members of Slint — Brian McMahan, David Pajo
, and Britt Walford — reunited to curate the 2005 All Tomorrow's Parties
(ATP) music festival in Camber Sands
, England
. Also in 2005, Slint played a number of shows in the U.S. and in Europe. Though they insisted the reunion was short-term, the band regrouped once again in 2007 to perform Spiderland in its entirety in Barcelona as part of the Primavera Sound Festival
, in London as part of the ATP Don't Look Back series of shows, as well as at a handful of dates in Europe, the U.S. (at Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival, the Showbox in Seattle, and the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood), and Canada. In addition to performing the album and the EP Slint
, they also debuted a new composition called "King's Approach". Slint undertook no further recording or performance activity after their 2007 tour.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band consisting of Brian McMahan
Brian McMahan
Brian McMahan is a guitarist from Louisville, Kentucky. He was member of the band Squirrel Bait and went on to create the seminal band Slint. He was both vocalist and guitarist for this band. After their breakup, circa 1991, he went on to play with Will Oldham on his project Palace Brothers...
(guitar and vocals), David Pajo
David Pajo
David Pajo is an American alternative rock musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres: hardcore, math-rock, post-rock, electronica, folk and indie-pop...
(guitar), Britt Walford
Britt Walford
Britt Walford is a drummer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a founding member of the punk band Squirrel Bait, but was replaced by Ben Daughtrey when he decided to play in the band Maurice. After the breakups of Squirrel Bait and Maurice, some of the members joined to form the post-rock band Slint...
(drums), Todd Brashear (bass on Spiderland) and Ethan Buckler (bass on Tweez). They formed in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1986 and disbanded following the recording of their second album, Spiderland, in 1991.
Slint started mathrock.
The band reformed to play a number of live shows in 2005 and 2007, though they released no new material.
History
Walford and McMahan began performing music together at an early age, forming Languid and Flaccid with Ned Oldham (later of The Anomoanoan) while still in middle school. Walford and McMahan later played together in the seminal Louisville punk band Squirrel BaitSquirrel Bait
Squirrel Bait was an American punk band from Louisville, Kentucky. They were in existence from 1983 to 1988. Squirrel Bait's dense, moody, melodic hardcore sound, featuring pronounced tempo shifts, foreshadowed the grunge sound of the late 1980s as well as math rock...
, though Walford left the band following their first recording session. Prior to Slint, Pajo and Walford (and, briefly, McMahan) were also in the band Maurice
Maurice
Maurice is a given name used as a name or surname. It originates as a French name derived from the Roman Mauritius and was subsequently used in English speaking countries as well. It is of Latin origin, meaning "dark-skinned, Moorish", and might refer to:...
with future members of Kinghorse. Walford, Pajo, and Buckler played their first show together in 1985 under the name Small Tight Dirty Tufts of Hair; BEADS.
Slint's first album Tweez was recorded by Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
in 1987 and released in obscurity on the Jennifer Hartman Records label in 1989. It was followed two years later by the critically acclaimed Spiderland
Spiderland
Spiderland is the second studio album by the American post-rock band Slint, released on March 27, 1991 on Touch and Go. Featuring dramatically alternating dynamics and vocals ranging from spoken word to shouting, the album contains narrative lyrics that emphasize alienation...
, released on Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...
and recorded by Brian Paulson
Brian Paulson
Brian Paulson is a musician, record producer and audio engineer from Minnesota, best known for recording albums by Slint, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and Wilco....
. Considered a seminal work, Spiderland is an album characterized by dark, syncopated
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
rhythms, sparse guitar lines and haunting subject matter. The record's impact was such that many fans and critics have suggested it is the first true post-rock album, helping to usher in a new wave of bands seeking a move away from the unfettered aggression of hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
but not its underlying ethic. The cover of Spiderland is from a series of photos of the band taken by the Louisville actor/singer-musician Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
. Spiderland culminates in the baleful "Good Morning, Captain", perhaps their most recognized track (it would later feature on the soundtrack to the Larry Clark
Larry Clark
Lawrence Donald "Larry" Clark is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for the movie Kids and his photography book Tulsa...
film Kids
Kids (film)
Kids is a 1995 drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.The film features Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Harold Hunter, and Rosario Dawson, all of them in their debut performances...
). Touch and Go Records reissued Tweez in 1993. Finally, in 1994 a brief untitled EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was released after the band broke up. This two-song record was actually recorded in 1989 and was originally intended to be released as a 12" single on Jennifer Hartman Records. Original copies of the Tweez LP included a flyer advertisement for the 12" as an insert. However, Slint signed to Touch & Go Records before it was sent to press and the master tapes were shelved. It contained a previously unreleased track ("Glenn") and a reinterpretation of "Rhoda" from Tweez.
Members of Slint have since appeared in a number of bands. In 2009, former guitarist David Pajo
David Pajo
David Pajo is an American alternative rock musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres: hardcore, math-rock, post-rock, electronica, folk and indie-pop...
performed with Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
as a live back-up musician. He briefly played bass in Interpol
Interpol (band)
Interpol is an American indie rock and post-punk revival band from New York City. Formed in 1997, the band's original line-up consisted of Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Greg Drudy . Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino...
, and performs under the moniker PAJO and occasionally with his band Papa M. Pajo has also been a member of Dead Child
Dead Child
Dead Child is a heavy metal band from Louisville, Kentucky. The band played its first show at Lisa's Oak Street Lounge on August 19, 2006 with Pusher, Lords, and Blade of the Ripper....
, Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
, Palace
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
, The For Carnation
The For Carnation
The For Carnation are a post-rock band from Louisville, Kentucky who formed in 1994. The band was formed by Brian McMahan, who is the only constant group member. McMahan's previous band Slint hinted at the distinctive sound and sombre aesthetic he would create in The For Carnation...
, and the short-lived Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
-fronted rock band Zwan
Zwan
Zwan was an American alternative rock band that was formed by members of The Smashing Pumpkins, Slint, Tortoise, Chavez, and A Perfect Circle. Zwan was started in late 2001 by Billy Corgan, lead singer and guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins, after the Pumpkins disbanded in December 2000. The band...
. Guitarist Brian McMahan formed The For Carnation
The For Carnation
The For Carnation are a post-rock band from Louisville, Kentucky who formed in 1994. The band was formed by Brian McMahan, who is the only constant group member. McMahan's previous band Slint hinted at the distinctive sound and sombre aesthetic he would create in The For Carnation...
in 1994 and also played with Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
in Palace. Britt Walford played drums in Evergreen, and for The Breeders
The Breeders
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal , her twin sister Kelley Deal , Jose Medeles , Mando Lopez Todd the Fox...
under the pseudonym Shannon Doughton on the album Pod and as Mike Hunt on the Safari EP. Ethan Buckler plays in King Kong
King Kong (band)
King Kong, a rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in early 1989 by Ethan Buckler, the original bassist in the band Slint. The core trio for many years was made up of Buckler, Willie McClean , and Ray Rizzo...
(the original line up of Slint makes up King Kong on the 1989 7" "Movie Star").
Nearly fifteen years after disbanding, three members of Slint — Brian McMahan, David Pajo
David Pajo
David Pajo is an American alternative rock musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres: hardcore, math-rock, post-rock, electronica, folk and indie-pop...
, and Britt Walford — reunited to curate the 2005 All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
(ATP) music festival in Camber Sands
Camber Sands
For historical information on the area, see Camber articleCamber Sands is a beach at the village of Camber , East Sussex, England...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Also in 2005, Slint played a number of shows in the U.S. and in Europe. Though they insisted the reunion was short-term, the band regrouped once again in 2007 to perform Spiderland in its entirety in Barcelona as part of the Primavera Sound Festival
Primavera Sound Festival
San Miguel Primavera Sound, commonly known as Primavera Sound or simply Primavera, is an annual music festival which takes place in Barcelona, Spain in late May and, in some years, early June...
, in London as part of the ATP Don't Look Back series of shows, as well as at a handful of dates in Europe, the U.S. (at Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival, the Showbox in Seattle, and the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood), and Canada. In addition to performing the album and the EP Slint
Slint (EP)
Slint, also known as Glenn/Rhoda or Untitled, is the first and only EP released by the rock band Slint.Released after the band had already broken up, it includes two songs that were recorded in 1989...
, they also debuted a new composition called "King's Approach". Slint undertook no further recording or performance activity after their 2007 tour.
Members
- Brian McMahanBrian McMahanBrian McMahan is a guitarist from Louisville, Kentucky. He was member of the band Squirrel Bait and went on to create the seminal band Slint. He was both vocalist and guitarist for this band. After their breakup, circa 1991, he went on to play with Will Oldham on his project Palace Brothers...
(guitar & vocals) - David PajoDavid PajoDavid Pajo is an American alternative rock musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres: hardcore, math-rock, post-rock, electronica, folk and indie-pop...
(guitar) - Todd Brashear (bass)
- Britt WalfordBritt WalfordBritt Walford is a drummer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a founding member of the punk band Squirrel Bait, but was replaced by Ben Daughtrey when he decided to play in the band Maurice. After the breakups of Squirrel Bait and Maurice, some of the members joined to form the post-rock band Slint...
(drums, guitar, vocals)
Live members 2005, 2007
- Michael McMahan (guitar)
- Todd Cook (bass)
- Gavin Quinn
- Joey McGonaghy (lead pianist)
Albums
| Year | Album | Label | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Tweez | Jennifer Hartman Records | re-issued on Touch and Go Records |
| 1991 | Spiderland Spiderland Spiderland is the second studio album by the American post-rock band Slint, released on March 27, 1991 on Touch and Go. Featuring dramatically alternating dynamics and vocals ranging from spoken word to shouting, the album contains narrative lyrics that emphasize alienation... |
Touch and Go Records | Eventually sold more than 50,000 copies |
Other
| Year | Release | Label | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Slint (EP) Slint (EP) Slint, also known as Glenn/Rhoda or Untitled, is the first and only EP released by the rock band Slint.Released after the band had already broken up, it includes two songs that were recorded in 1989... |
Touch and Go Records | also known as Glenn/Rhoda or Untitled |
| 1995 | Kids Soundtrack | London Records | The Soundtrack to the 1995 Film Kids Kids (film) Kids is a 1995 drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.The film features Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Harold Hunter, and Rosario Dawson, all of them in their debut performances... |
External links
- www.slint.us Official Site (archive as of March 5 2007)
- Slint Touch and Go records band page