Slint's first album Tweez was recorded by legendary sound engineer Steve Albini in 1987 and released in obscurity on the Jennifer Hartman Records label in 1989. It was followed two years later by the critically acclaimed Spiderland, released on the legendary independent label Touch and Go Records.
Considered a seminal work, Spiderland is an album characterised by its dark, syncopated rhythms, sparse guitar lines, and strange spoken-word esque vocal style. The record's impact was such that, according to some, it helped to usher in a new wave of bands seeking a move away from the unfettered aggression of hardcore punk but not its underlying ethic. The cover of Spiderland is from a series of photos of the band taken by the Louisville singer-musician Will Oldham. Spiderland culminates in the baleful "Good Morning, Captain", perhaps their most recognised track (it would later feature on the soundtrack to the Larry Clark film Kids, though not in the film itself).
Touch & Go reissued Tweez in 1993. Finally, in 1994 a brief untitled EP was released posthumously. This two song record was actually recorded in 1989 and was originally intended to be released as a 12" single on Jennifer Hartman Records. Original copies of the Tweez LP included a flyer advertisement for the 12" as an insert. However, Slint signed to Touch & Go before it was sent to press and the master tapes were shelved.
Members of Slint have since appeared in a number of bands. Former guitarist David Pajo currently performs under the moniker Papa M and also plays bass for the NYC street metal band Early Man. Pajo was also a member of Tortoise, Palace, and the short-lived Billy Corgan-fronted rock band Zwan before their breakup in 2003. Guitarist Brian McMahan formed The For Carnation in 1994 and also played with Palace. Britt Walford played drums in Evergreen, and for The Breeders under the pseudonym Shannon Doughton on the album Pod and as Mike Hunt on the Safari EP. Ethan Buckler plays in King Kong (the original line up of Slint makes up King Kong on the 1989 7" "Movie Star").
Nearly fifteen years after disbanding, three members of Slint — Brian McMahan, David Pajo, and Britt Walford — reunited to curate the 2005 All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) music festival in Camber Sands, England. Also in 2005, Slint played a number of shows in the U.S. and in Europe. Though they insisted the reunion was short-term, the band regrouped once again in 2007 to perform Spiderland in its entirety in Barcelona as part of the Primavera Sound Festival, in London as part of the ATP Don't Look Back series of shows, as well as at a handful of dates in Europe, the U.S. (at Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival, the Showbox in Seattle, and the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood), and Canada in 2007.
In a September 2012 interview conducted with Northern Irish music publication AU Magazine, David Pajo hinted at more activity from the band in the coming months: "We still communicate regularly and we've got some surprises for next year that fans will be excited about. I know I am."
The band reunited in December 2013 to play as one of the headliners of the final All Tomorrow's Parties holiday camp festival in Camber Sands, England.
In an August 2013 interview with Vish Khanna, former producer Steve Albini revealed that the band was working on remastering their second album Spiderland with producer Bob Weston. The deluxe Spiderland boxset was announced in January 2014.
In 2014, the band also performed at the Primavera Sound music festival in Spain and Portugal and Green Man Festival in Wales.
Charlotte
Slint Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was looking for the pirate ship,
And saw this small, old white tent at one end.
It was blue,
And had white lights hanging all around it.
I decided to check out the tent,
It seemed like I could hear music coming from inside.
As I walked toward it, I passed a crowd of people at the sideshow.
I pulled back the drape thing on the tent.
There was a crystal ball on the table,
And behind it, a girl wearing a hat.
She smiled, and asked me if I wanted my fortune read.
I said okay,
And sat down.
Then I thought about it for a minute,
And asked her if she would rather go on the roller coaster instead.
Creeping up into the sky.
Stopping, at the top and,
Starting down.
The girl grabbed my hand,
I clutched it
Tight.
I said goodbye to the ground.
Far below, a soiled man.
A bucket of torn tickets at his side.
He watches the children run by
And picks his teeth.
Spinning round,
My head begins to turn.
I shouted, and searched
The sky for a friend.
I heard the fortune teller,
Screaming back at me.
We stuck out our hands and met the winds.
The girl falters as she steps down from the platform.
She clutches her stomach, and begins to heave.
The ticket-taker smiles, and the last car is ready.
Who told you that you could leave?
The sun was setting by the time we left.
We walked across the deserted lot, alone.
We were tired, but we managed to smile.
At the gate I said goodnight to the fortune teller.
The carnival sign threw colored shadows on her face,
But I could tell she was blushing.
The song ‘Charlotte’ by Slint tells the tale of a protagonist wandering through a carnival, seeking adventure and thrills but ultimately finding something unexpected. As he meanders through the midway, he comes across a mysterious tent with blue fabric and white lights. Curious about what lies within, he ventures inside to discover a fortune teller with a crystal ball. Initially agreeing to have his fortune read, the singer ultimately becomes hesitant, asking the fortune teller if she would rather go on the roller coaster with him. The song then takes a surreal and dizzying turn as the singer and the fortune teller ascend into the sky on the roller coaster.
The carnival becomes a site of transformation, as the singer leaves the earth behind and experiences a moment of exhilaration and release. However, as they come to the end of the ride, the fortune teller becomes ill and the ticket-taker seems to harass them, implying that they are not free to leave. Finally departing from the carnival, they are left with a sense of tiredness and perhaps a newfound sense of connection with the fortune teller.
Overall, the song evokes a sense of otherworldliness, drawing attention to the strangeness and unpredictability of human experience. It also explores themes of illusion, transformation, and the blurring of fantasy and reality.
Line by Line Meaning
I stepped out onto the midway.
I walked out onto the carnival grounds.
I was looking for the pirate ship,
I was searching for a ride called the pirate ship.
And saw this small, old white tent at one end.
I noticed a small white tent at the end of the midway.
It was blue,
The tent had a blue color.
And had white lights hanging all around it.
There were white lights strung around the tent.
I decided to check out the tent,
I made the choice to go into the tent.
It seemed like I could hear music coming from inside.
I thought I could hear music playing from within the tent.
As I walked toward it, I passed a crowd of people at the sideshow.
On my way to the tent, I walked by a group of people watching a sideshow.
I couldn't figure out why they would want to wait in the line.
I was confused about why they would want to wait in line.
I pulled back the drape thing on the tent.
I opened the entrance of the tent.
There was a crystal ball on the table,
Inside, there was a crystal ball placed on a table.
And behind it, a girl wearing a hat.
A girl wearing a hat was standing behind the table.
She smiled, and asked me if I wanted my fortune read.
She grinned and inquired if I wanted her to read my fortune.
I said okay,
I agreed to have my fortune read.
And sat down.
I took a seat.
Then I thought about it for a minute,
I thought about it for a brief moment.
And asked her if she would rather go on the roller coaster instead.
I questioned her if she would prefer to ride the roller coaster.
Creeping up into the sky.
The roller coaster began to climb up into the sky.
Stopping, at the top and,
It paused at the peak.
Starting down.
The ride began to head downwards.
The girl grabbed my hand,
The girl grasped my hand.
I clutched it
I held her hand tightly.
Tight.
I gripped it with force.
I said goodbye to the ground.
I waved farewell to the ground below us.
Far below, a soiled man.
Far beneath us, I saw a dirty man.
A bucket of torn tickets at his side.
He had a bucket of ripped tickets next to him.
He watches the children run by
He observed as kids ran past him.
And picks his teeth.
He picked his teeth with his fingers.
Spinning round,
The roller coaster spun us around.
My head begins to turn.
I began to feel dizzy.
I shouted, and searched the sky for a friend.
I yelled and looked for someone beside me.
I heard the fortune teller, screaming back at me.
I heard the fortune teller screaming as well.
We stuck out our hands and met the winds.
We both put our hands in the air, feeling the wind around us.
The girl falters as she steps down from the platform.
As we got off the ride, the girl had trouble walking.
She clutches her stomach, and begins to heave.
She held her stomach in pain and started to vomit.
The ticket-taker smiles, and the last car is ready.
The ride operator was smiling and ready to take the last group of passengers.
Who told you that you could leave?
The ride operator questioned why we were leaving.
The sun was setting by the time we left.
We left the carnival as the sun was setting.
We walked across the deserted lot, alone.
We walked together across the empty carnival ground.
We were tired, but we managed to smile.
We were exhausted, but we could still force a smile.
At the gate I said goodnight to the fortune teller.
When we got to the exit, I said goodbye to the fortune teller.
The carnival sign threw colored shadows on her face,
The sign of the carnival made colored shadows on her face.
But I could tell she was blushing.
However, I noticed that she was blushing.
Contributed by Adrian R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.