Though largely overlooked during their relatively brief lifespan, Slint grew to become one of the most influential and far-reaching bands to emerge from the American underground rock community of the 1980s. Innovative and iconoclastic, the group's deft, extremist manipulations of volume, tempo, and structure cast them as clear progenitors of the post-rock movement that blossomed during the following decade. Their influence and latter-day recognition was all the more remarkable given that they only released two albums during their original run, 1989's Tweez and 1991's Spiderland. 

Slint's story begins with singer and guitarist Brian McMahan and drummer Britt Walford, who became friends when they attended school in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1981, they formed a band called Languid and Flaccid while they were still in junior high, which also featured Ned Oldham, whose kid brother <a href="spotify:artist:2EEw2tt8AJcH9qXUeB96Oc">Will</a> would go on to record as the <a href="spotify:artist:6Jg1WSoV27sDj7N2WRFPqo">Palace Brothers</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2zAvisjImPICTNsRgagqlV">Bonnie "Prince" Billy</a>. A few years down the line, McMahan and Walford would work together again in the celebrated Louisville hardcore band <a href="spotify:artist:3swFyT2DNOalAWhotbvcVf">Squirrel Bait</a>, which also included <a href="spotify:artist:1l9teigsW0RmitpvdocYQU">Peter Searcy</a> on vocals, <a href="spotify:artist:03XSVbjjgDX2hrw1VXlj87">David Grubbs</a> on guitar, and bassist Ethan Buckler. By the time they recorded, Ben Daughtrey replaced Walford on drums, and after two ferocious records, a self-titled 1985 effort, and 1987's Skag Heaven, the group disbanded. Alumni of <a href="spotify:artist:3swFyT2DNOalAWhotbvcVf">Squirrel Bait</a> would later form <a href="spotify:artist:6Xuaooorz7j46y1UrWxXMd">Gastr del Sol</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6KNBmBm4wh1b16dpQTI0OG">Big Wheel</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1XyFywRMGdnpFIcxlUD6Pt">Bastro</a>. Meanwhile, Walford and McMahan were both short-time members of Maurice, a prog- and metal-influenced band that included guitarist David Pajo. In 1986, McMahan, Walford, and Pajo recruited bassist Ethan Buckler for a new group, Small Tight Dirty Tufts of Hair, whose first public performance at a church was not received enthusiastically by most of the congregation. The group soon changed their name to Slint, and began playing regularly in Louisville and the surrounding areas as they refined their attack. 

With producer <a href="spotify:artist:52ZFTGbQ9miWMX8JYBvtOO">Steve Albini</a>, the quartet recorded 1989's Tweez, issued on their own Jennifer Hartman label; a collection of odd stylistic approaches, fractured rhythms, and strange lyrical fragments, the album owed debts to few (if any) historical precedents and steadfastly defied easy classification. Buckler was unhappy with <a href="spotify:artist:52ZFTGbQ9miWMX8JYBvtOO">Albini</a>'s mix, feeling the final product was too aggressive for his taste, and he left the group and soon formed his own band, <a href="spotify:artist:2w2iC6SwXYgbPLomWYVihk">King Kong</a>. Todd Brashear took over as bassist in time to record 1991's Spiderland with producer Brian Paulson, which was recorded in just four days and was issued by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Touch+%26+Go+Records%22">Touch & Go Records</a>. Spiderland was an even more sophisticated and adventurous set, and it would slowly but surely find an understanding audience, and was cited by many as the pioneering work of the post-rock movement. By 1993, Spiderland had attracted enough of an audience that <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Touch+%26+Go%22">Touch & Go</a> reissued Tweez, and a pair of songs recorded between the two albums was given a belated release in 1994. However, Slint weren't around to enjoy the acclaim, having split up before the album came out, though they reunited to play a handful of shows in 1992 and 1994.

While the group was no longer active, the individual members remained key figures in the Louisville independent scene. After attending art college, Pajo joined the ranks of <a href="spotify:artist:3WggbHDpj4rPKbL97zG5MQ">Tortoise</a>, while Walford (under the alias Shannon Doughton) played drums with <a href="spotify:artist:1xgFexIwrf2QjbU0buCNnp">the Breeders</a> before rejoining Buckler in <a href="spotify:artist:2w2iC6SwXYgbPLomWYVihk">King Kong</a>. McMahan and Brashear, meanwhile, aided <a href="spotify:artist:2EEw2tt8AJcH9qXUeB96Oc">Will Oldham</a> in his ever-shifting <a href="spotify:artist:5Sr14eTmMMC76LEFDSnvh9">Palace</a> aggregate (which additionally housed Pajo and Walford at one point or another); McMahan and Pajo also briefly reunited as members of <a href="spotify:artist:7LMO4vkA2xYpGYbzsggPbk">the For Carnation</a>, while Slint came together for a well-received series of reunion concerts in 2007. Pajo went on to a busy career as a bandleader and sideman, issuing albums with <a href="spotify:artist:5O733K6namjDtLx5PKTGpD">Papa M</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6OtFEXGD51ffhBG9kUEXhE">Dead Child</a> and working with <a href="spotify:artist:44KDKGSCSBGEY4NPEJ1P2H">Zwan</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3WaJSfKnzc65VDgmj2zU8B">Interpol</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3TNt4aUIxgfy9aoaft5Jj2">the Yeah Yeah Yeahs</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3AmWjMXXtBJOmNGpUFSOAl">Gang of Four</a>. 

In 2014, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Touch+%26+Go%22">Touch & Go</a> released an ambitious expanded edition of Spiderland that included a remastered version of the original album, as well as 79 minutes of outtakes, demos, and other bonus material. The new edition of Spiderland also included a DVD of Breadcrumb Trail, a documentary by Lance Bangs about Slint and the making of Spiderland; the film also received a limited theatrical release. To celebrate the release of the film and the Spiderland box set, Slint reunited for a brief U.S. concert tour. In 2024, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Touch+%26+Go+Records%22">Touch & Go Records</a> released a 35th Anniversary edition of Tweez. A remastered version of the original album was issued on LP and compact disc, while a deluxe vinyl edition included a second LP that featured a remixed edition of the material supervised by Ethan Buckler, intended to reflect the more subtle approach he had advocated for the album. ~ Jason Ankeny & Mark Deming, Rovi

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