Slinty Bands

Remember listening to Spiderland back in '91 for the first time?  I had never heard anything like it before.  I remember thinking it was so unique and different at the time.  Just the dynamics and the odd vocals where it seems as if he was talking his lyrics as opposed to singing them.  Washer in particular just seemed like such a strange song.  I couldn't tell if the vocals were brilliant or kind of embarrassing.  Since then there has been hundreds of bands that have taken elements of Slint's style and some pull it off better than others.  Here are a couple of the good ones...

Ativin - Pills Versus Planes (1996)

I read a Ativin interview a while back where the members said they sort of bonded over the fact that they all had a love for Spiderland back when they first met in college.  And the band just kind of took off from there.  This is their first release and also the most aggressive one.  Later releases would fall into the more typical instrumental post-rock as we know it today.

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Haberdasher - Songs On Love nos. 48602-48608 (1997)

Probably the most Slinty (I'll be using this as an adjective) of the records I'm posting.  Definitely the best example of the "talking as singing" on the rare instances when there are vocals.  The Baltimore band only released this one LP and I really have no idea what the story is with the album title and the song names.  Members went on to form Oxes and More Dogs.

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Engine Kid - Angel Wings (1995)

This is Engine Kids last record and probably the least Slinty of theirs.  Their most Slinty would be their first EP.  But I'm posting this one because I think it's their best.  They were heading more into metal territory that guitarist/singer Greg Anderson (Sunn O))), Goatsnake) is more known for by this time.  But songs like Jumper Cables and the overall dynamics of the album still have that Slinty appeal.

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