Boosting Your Indie Cred, 101
Ever wanted to own a piece of rock memorabilia that would make your name-dropping indie music snob friends smash all of their Mogwai records to bits in a fit of jealous rage and envy? If so, now is your chance, for it seems that seminal indie/post-rock pioneers Slint are auctioning pieces of gear on eBay.
For those who are unawares, Slint is sort of the Ulysses of 90s ‘indie’ music. Scholars and (supposed) bibliophiles alike frequently cite Joyce’s Ulysses as the greatest book written in English from the 20th century, but the work remains very infrequently read outside of college campuses and the random pretentious clientele-filled coffeehouse. The same can be said of Slint - anyone with any sort of indie cred, or anyone who attempts to have any sort of indie cred, cite them as one of the most important and influential bands of the late 80s early 90s; yet, aside from the random soundperson at a club or hip college professor or coffeehouse employee who is trying to impress his/her pretentious clientele, I rarely encounter anyone who actually listens to Slint on any sort of regular basis. So, just as Ulysses is the greatest book nobody ever reads, Slint is the greatest band few ever actually listen to, its place in our modern culture context reserved more for name-dropping and cred building then for its music.
Which is not to say that they did not have a tremendous influence on the indie/post-rock scene. In particular (as can be heard on their albums Tweez and Spiderland) their use of radical changes in volume, song structure, and tempo along with their controlled use of dissonance and disjointed rhythms, all with an underlying sense of mathematical precision in the context of non-lyric based rock music has shaped countless bands since (bands from Mogwai to Sigur Ros and many in between). Indeed, the term “Slint dynamics” has crept its way into the modern music lexicon to describe the style of quiet/loud dynamics (along with the other characteristics listed above) that so many bands employ today. So there is no doubt they did have a huge influence on many bands to come; the problem for me is that, at least in my experiences listening to them up until this point in my life, they just aren’t that exciting or fun or interesting to listen to. If I’m in the mood to listen to ‘post-rock’ type instrumental music I’d much rather listen to a band like tortoise (yes, I know…a semi Slint offshoot featuring at one time ex-Slint-er David Pajo) or even (am I destroying any sense of indie cred here?) Sigur Ros.
But I digress (my listening tastes have nothing to do with eBay or this auction). See, the Slint story ended when they disbanded in 1992. However, this year saw a reunion/farewell tour, which is where the eBay thing comes in. The band has decided to auction select pieces of equipment purchased for and used on that reunion tour. In particular, up for auction are a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 amp, a Tele, a Strat, and, for the aspiring guitar techs amongst you, a custom ATA workbox. So if you are looking for something to instantly apply a mega boost your indie cred amongst your fellow musicians or friends, bid away (time's running out - only 3 days left!). If you’re looking merely for a small cred boost amongst music nerds (er, aficionados) go pick up Spiderland. Or, if you’re looking for a quality ‘post-rock’ instrumental/jazz/rock/etc. album with some cool songs and a heavy dose of mallet instruments to go along with the layered guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums on it, go grab Standards by Tortoise.
For those who are unawares, Slint is sort of the Ulysses of 90s ‘indie’ music. Scholars and (supposed) bibliophiles alike frequently cite Joyce’s Ulysses as the greatest book written in English from the 20th century, but the work remains very infrequently read outside of college campuses and the random pretentious clientele-filled coffeehouse. The same can be said of Slint - anyone with any sort of indie cred, or anyone who attempts to have any sort of indie cred, cite them as one of the most important and influential bands of the late 80s early 90s; yet, aside from the random soundperson at a club or hip college professor or coffeehouse employee who is trying to impress his/her pretentious clientele, I rarely encounter anyone who actually listens to Slint on any sort of regular basis. So, just as Ulysses is the greatest book nobody ever reads, Slint is the greatest band few ever actually listen to, its place in our modern culture context reserved more for name-dropping and cred building then for its music.
Which is not to say that they did not have a tremendous influence on the indie/post-rock scene. In particular (as can be heard on their albums Tweez and Spiderland) their use of radical changes in volume, song structure, and tempo along with their controlled use of dissonance and disjointed rhythms, all with an underlying sense of mathematical precision in the context of non-lyric based rock music has shaped countless bands since (bands from Mogwai to Sigur Ros and many in between). Indeed, the term “Slint dynamics” has crept its way into the modern music lexicon to describe the style of quiet/loud dynamics (along with the other characteristics listed above) that so many bands employ today. So there is no doubt they did have a huge influence on many bands to come; the problem for me is that, at least in my experiences listening to them up until this point in my life, they just aren’t that exciting or fun or interesting to listen to. If I’m in the mood to listen to ‘post-rock’ type instrumental music I’d much rather listen to a band like tortoise (yes, I know…a semi Slint offshoot featuring at one time ex-Slint-er David Pajo) or even (am I destroying any sense of indie cred here?) Sigur Ros.
But I digress (my listening tastes have nothing to do with eBay or this auction). See, the Slint story ended when they disbanded in 1992. However, this year saw a reunion/farewell tour, which is where the eBay thing comes in. The band has decided to auction select pieces of equipment purchased for and used on that reunion tour. In particular, up for auction are a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 amp, a Tele, a Strat, and, for the aspiring guitar techs amongst you, a custom ATA workbox. So if you are looking for something to instantly apply a mega boost your indie cred amongst your fellow musicians or friends, bid away (time's running out - only 3 days left!). If you’re looking merely for a small cred boost amongst music nerds (er, aficionados) go pick up Spiderland. Or, if you’re looking for a quality ‘post-rock’ instrumental/jazz/rock/etc. album with some cool songs and a heavy dose of mallet instruments to go along with the layered guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums on it, go grab Standards by Tortoise.
posted by Josh Peterson at 4:30 PM
5 Comments:
very nice.
two things:
why don't they just call it "quiet/loud dynamic" instead? Makes more sense.
and,
how can they be the most influential band of the 90s if they disbanded in 1992? This is implausible. It's like saying William McKinley was the most influential president of the 20th century.
And I don't even know what kind of guitar he played...
the comment that they've been massively influential on sigur ros has effectively dissuaded me from ever searching out spiderland. i only have one sigur ros song, but it's a really long song. long enough to go through several stages of boredom and a few quick naps.
yes, sigur ros does indeed have long songs, and the songs, with minimal lyrics sung in a gibberish language, can indeed often be on the boring side.
i don't listen to them regularly; however, there are definately times when i am in the right mood for them (like long car trips with me not driving, especially). or (echoing your statement) when i want something to fall asleep listening to.
to their credit they do often create/stumble upon some great melodies, and their control of dynamics (dare i say 'slint dynamics'?) can be cool at times as well. and most of all they are quite good at building up sonic layers and then taking them apart and building them up again. it is at times fairly impressive the quality of and types of parts that are going on beneath the surface, and this subtle layering can be quite rewarding (headphones required) (though i would would guess that some of that rewardingness (not a word) may be unique to my being a guitarist who has at times chosen to drift away from the standard guitar cliches and more toward ideas based on layering etc.)
i just want to say for the record that i have both read ulysses and own and [sometimes] enjoy listening to slint's spiderland and tweeze. boo ya!
y'know, i figured that would be the case (there always has to be exceptions to every phenomenon), and i absolutely applaud that.
and you definately get extra bonus points for using the phrase boo ya in the same context as referencing ulysses and slint. i bet if joyce were around today he would definately be using phrases like boo ya.
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