Spiderland
by Slint

I have six tracks, all over 5 minutes long. I sound like absolutely nothing else in the world almost 20 years after my release. Despite this, I am still hugely influential. I have not a single bad song, but no song is streets ahead of the rest either. All in all, I am a perfect album. Who am I?

If you guessed Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, you are also right.

It's not uncommon to hear a highly appraised album for the first time and to wonder: "Why is this album so highly appraised?". You may have this thought on the second listen, and the third, and the fourth, but eventually it begins to click, you understand the appeal and can enjoy the album.

Much rarer are those albums where you wonder on your first listen: "Why is this album so highly appraised?", and again on your second listen, and your third, and your tenth, and your twentieth. It seems that it doesn't matter how much time elapses, how many times you listen to the album, how patient and open-minded you try to be, it just never clicks.

No matter what album, there will always be people on both sides. Some get it and some don't.

Spiderland is one of those albums that I just don't get. The grungy guitar tones, spoken word vocals, disjointed song structures, drawn-out & drony guitar sections... It seems as though there is a clear lack of direction, as though the band members never really knew what they wanted to create- they just went into this project with a vague idea of being experimental.

And to be fair, it certainly is experimental. I've not heard any other album that blends grunge, math-rock & post-rock to create this kind of sound. It's unique, no doubt. I give the band credit for their originality, but that alone doesn't give an album the legendary status that this one seems to wear.

I respect the album and I can understand why people love it. You may even love it for all the reasons I don't, and that's fine. I'm glad you enjoy the album. This is just one guys opinion: I don't enjoy Spiderland, but I'll keep trying. (Edited)

1991 was a pretty good year for music. Spiderland, Loveless, and Laughing Stock are all in my top 20. This album does something remarkable. Listening to it carefully from beginning to end like like inhabiting a whole other intellectual space. I am truly 'transported' to some twisted place that the sounds and words convey. Very few records accomplish this so successfully.

From jeremih724 09/06/2014 21:26 | #121396 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I played this once while walking home at 3am. 10/10 would reccomend (if you like being completely unsettled). Its a one of a kind, emotional, and kinda spooky masterpiece.

This album is terrifyingly beautiful. When I listen to it I can't picture anything but being in lost in empty black space. It's one of the few albums I've listened to that actually gets better the further one get's into it, with the climax being the "I MISS YOU" part in Good Morning, Captain. It's an all expense paid trip to the void. Highly recommended to play loud, while alone and late at night.