Another of those unexpected reunions - the legendary Slint, who pretty much kicked off the whole post-rock scene taken up by Mogwai, etc., broke up in the early 90s and got back together for a few reunion shows in 2005, reconvened again this year to play their entire Spiderland album live. This turned out to be the second example of a seminal group from the turn of the 80s/90s reforming to play a classic album live - Sonic Youth are touring Daydream Nation around this summer, too - but having seen SY last year, and since a lot more people are writing about them anyway, I opted for the rarer choice.

Spiderland is a true touchstone album for 90's and 00's indie rock; to be honest it may be one of those records that people talk about a lot more than actually listen to, but dig it out if you're in that category. The brooding, mostly spoken lyrics, the repetitive, expanding snippets of melody and the incredible musical dynamics sound as fresh today as when the album was cut in 1991. These guys pioneered the quiet / loud motif that's central to so much rock music these days, mainstream or not, although listening back to Spiderland it's surprising how little of the loud there is; the occasional bursts of volume are all the more effective for being so rare.

Two things to give you an idea of the reverence in which Slint are held by the rocknoscenti:

1. Between songs tonight you could have heard a pin drop - quite a change from the usual supper-club hubbub at Bimbo's. The audience watched every chord change with rapt attention, leading taciturn guitarist / vocalist Brian McMahon to comment "Sweet dinner theatre atmosphere" at one point.

2. I may have got the band wrong, but Slint's David Pajo was once playing with his new band Papa M on a bill with Mogwai and asked to borrow one of their guitars. A starstuck Mogwai member replied "You used to be in Slint, you can take whatever the f**k you like".

Seeing Spiderland live, from the opening chime of "Breadcrumb Trail" to the blood-curdling screams at the end of "Good Morning, Captain", was a real revelation. There's nothing to beat the physical feeling you get from a live show, with the bass and drums reverberating in your bones and the guitars assaulting your senses. Slint turned up the intensity and made every note count, the quiet sections shimmering in the air like fleeting snowflakes and the loud parts thundering like an avalanche.

After Spiderland was done, the band continued with 2 HOT instrumentals - I didn't recognize either of these, and there are rumours that Slint is working on new material, so hopefully these songs were some of the fruits of that. Both pieces were less glacial and a little more standard, pounding rock than the Spiderland tunes, but no less enthralling for that; repeating riffs and rhythms that started low and built up to terrific crescendos, making full use of three electric guitars turned up to the max.

Reunion shows like this can sometimes be a bit like visiting museum exhibits you're not all that interested in - you feel glad you experienced them, but somehow you don't leave completely satisfied. This show was the complete opposite; the live performances added hugely to the recorded versions and the tunes were ringing in my head for days afterwards. Here's hoping that Slint becomes an ongoing concern again.

-Gareth Bowles

Slint
Bimbo's 365 Club, San Francisco, CA
July 22, 2007

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