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Spiderland (Music)

 Spiderland (Music)
type
TVTItem
 Spiderland (Music)
label
Spiderland (Music)
 Spiderland (Music)
page
Spiderland
 Spiderland (Music)
comment
In March 1991, a record with a black and white photo of four men — no band name, no album name — floating in an abandoned quarry, staring and smiling right at the camera, began to appear in music stores. Those pulled in by the cover would find themselves enwrapped in a world of mystique — the band had broken up before the album's release, the music on the album was dark and depressing with lyrics emphasising isolation, and one of the members supposedly had to be institutionalised during/after the recording (the rumour varies); it was as if it was cursed. Despite being largely ignored on its release, the few that did hear it bore witness to something different, giving birth to a new genre.Spiderland is the sophomore and final album by American Post-Hardcore/Math Rock band Slint, released through Touch and Go Records on March 27, 1991. A very marked departure from their first album Tweez, Spiderland set itself apart by removing itself of traditional hardcore structures, instead focusing on usage of long crescendos and sudden diminuendos (today, the term "Slint dynamics" is used for dynamics similar to the ones featured on this album) and narrative lyrics delivered in spoken word. Fueling the mysteriousness around the album was its Troubled Production: the entire thing was stressfully recorded over four nights, and singer Brian McMahan threw his voice and became physically ill after recording the LP's final track, "Good Morning, Captain".Spiderland is notable for, along with Laughing Stock by Talk Talk (also from 1991), pioneering the genre known as Post-Rock, which would in turn bring about artists such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and inspire other bands, such as Swans in their later years, to help define what post-rock could be. The album also brought profound influence on Math Rock and underground music in general.Slint has since reunited, are touring and are rumoured to be working on new material. Breadcrumb Trail, a Rockumentary about the album's recording, was released in 2015.
 Spiderland (Music)
fetched
2023-06-10T11:43:55Z
 Spiderland (Music)
parsed
2023-06-10T11:43:55Z
 Spiderland (Music)
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Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Spiderland (Music)
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Dropped link to GenreBusting: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Spiderland (Music)
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Dropped link to Instrumental: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Spiderland (Music)
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Dropped link to LaughingStock: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Spiderland (Music)
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Dropped link to TropeMaker: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
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Instrumental
 Spiderland (Music)
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TropeMaker
 Spiderland (Music)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Spiderland (Music) / int_14beeefd
type
Darker and Edgier
 Spiderland (Music) / int_14beeefd
comment
Darker and Edgier: Compared to Tweez. Can also be seen as this trope when compared to Laughing Stock. Both are the Trope Makers for Post-Rock with six tracks and at roughly the same runtime (Laughing Stock is about three minutes longer) that reflect a change in sound their earlier works had no hint towards with a more serious tone, released in 1991 after the bands had broken up note  Technically, Talk Talk were still active, but Webb had left and the band was essentially Mark Hollis at this point . The differences are that Laughing Stock borrows influence from art rock and jazz, while Spiderland comes from a Post-Hardcore background and feels more disjointed and jarring compared to Laughing Stock's more atmospheric sound.
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Spiderland (Music) / int_14beeefd
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1b122c5d
type
Scare Chord
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1b122c5d
comment
Scare Chord: The high pitched distorted guitar that follows each of the verses in "Nosferatu Man".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1b122c5d
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Spiderland (Music) / int_1b122c5d
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1ce1cfd8
type
all lowercase letters
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1ce1cfd8
comment
all lowercase letters: The liner notes.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1ce1cfd8
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Spiderland (Music) / int_1ce1cfd8
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1f37a427
type
Face on the Cover
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1f37a427
comment
Face on the Cover: The band floating in the Utica Quarry, an abandoned quarry near their native Louisville. Their faces are all you can see of them, adding to the mystique around the group and this album in particular.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1f37a427
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Spiderland (Music) / int_1f37a427
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1fd2efc9
type
Byronic Hero
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1fd2efc9
comment
Byronic Hero: The main character of "Nosferatu Man" is essentially this.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1fd2efc9
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Spiderland (Music) / int_1fd2efc9
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1fdaf8ff
type
Ominous Latin Chanting
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1fdaf8ff
comment
Ominous Latin Chanting: In "Breadcrumb Trail", the rest of the band actually sings backing vocals in the second distorted verse (beginning with the lyric "spinning round"). They're singing a continuous "aah", and it's mixed in very quietly in the song, so it's incredibly subtle.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_1fdaf8ff
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Spiderland (Music) / int_1fdaf8ff
 Spiderland (Music) / int_217a1adf
type
I Love the Dead
 Spiderland (Music) / int_217a1adf
comment
I Love the Dead: "Nosferatu Man." Maybe.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_217a1adf
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1.0
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Spiderland (Music) / int_217a1adf
 Spiderland (Music) / int_22093e9b
type
New Sound Album
 Spiderland (Music) / int_22093e9b
comment
New Sound Album: One common observation is just how jarring the difference is between Tweez and Spiderland; it was like a new band just appeared out of thin air.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_22093e9b
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Spiderland (Music) / int_22093e9b
 Spiderland (Music) / int_26764512
type
I Just Want to Have Friends
 Spiderland (Music) / int_26764512
comment
I Just Want to Have Friends: "Don, Aman".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_26764512
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_26764512
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Spiderland (Music) / int_26764512
 Spiderland (Music) / int_34f6774c
type
Concept Album
 Spiderland (Music) / int_34f6774c
comment
Concept Album: Though it's more like a short story collection than a novel. The lyrics all tell tales of alienation. There are also Epileptic Trees that all the songs also have themes of sleep, dreaming, and death, as argued here. References to water are also common, starting with the cover.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_34f6774c
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Spiderland (Music) / int_34f6774c
 Spiderland (Music) / int_38da8916
type
Uncommon Time
 Spiderland (Music) / int_38da8916
comment
Uncommon Time: Comes with being a Math Rock band: The time signatures for "Breadcrumb Trail" are, in order of appearance: 7/4 (the main clean riff), 4/4 (as both a transitionary measure and the spoken word interludes), 12/8, 15/8 (both played interchangeably in the distorted segments), 6/4 (after the dissonant chord is played in the interludes), and 3/4 (during the last few interludes, where the 4/4 measures get cut short). For "Nosferatu Man", the time signatures are: 6/4 (the opening snare hits, the two choruses, the post-chorus, the end of the third verse and the final verse), 5/4 (the first two verses, the first instrumental bridge and the third verse), 3/4 (during the first bridge, after two measures of 5/4), 4/4 (the end of the first instrumental bridge and the fading outro), 15/4 (second bridge), and 7/4 (the transition between the second bridge and the final verse).
 Spiderland (Music) / int_38da8916
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Spiderland (Music) / int_38da8916
 Spiderland (Music) / int_3ce9c9fa
type
Fortune Teller
 Spiderland (Music) / int_3ce9c9fa
comment
Fortune Teller: One of the central characters in "Breadcrumb Trail".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_3ce9c9fa
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Spiderland (Music) / int_3ce9c9fa
 Spiderland (Music) / int_47b97b31
type
Album Closure
 Spiderland (Music) / int_47b97b31
comment
Album Closure: It's hard to imagine a more fitting or climactic finale for the record than "Good Morning, Captain".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_47b97b31
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Spiderland (Music) / int_47b97b31
 Spiderland (Music) / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Spiderland (Music) / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: The whole album is rather dark, but "Good Morning, Captain" is the darkest track on the album by far. It's more terrifying than it is sad, but it nonetheless ends with Brian McMahan screaming "I MISS YOU" while David Pajo plays an epic Thrash Metal riff.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_4e3d253b
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Spiderland (Music) / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: "The ticket taker smiles, and the last car is ready. 'Who told you you could leave?'"
 Spiderland (Music) / int_4e7c4536
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_51f90774
type
Step Up to the Microphone
 Spiderland (Music) / int_51f90774
comment
Step Up to the Microphone: "Don, Aman" has vocals and guitar by drummer Britt Walford.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_51f90774
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Spiderland (Music) / int_51f90774
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5313c266
type
Bookends
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5313c266
comment
Book Ends: The album begins with a character looking for a pirate ship and ends with the aftermath of a shipwreck.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5313c266
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Spiderland (Music) / int_5313c266
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5bf112dc
type
Vampire Bites Suck
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5bf112dc
comment
Vampire Bites Suck: Implied to be the fate of the queen in "Nosferatu Man".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5bf112dc
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Spiderland (Music) / int_5bf112dc
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5ce2c9c6
type
Suddenly Shouting
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5ce2c9c6
comment
Suddenly Shouting: Brian often goes from mumbling speech to shouting. The best example of this is his screaming in "Good Morning, Captain".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5ce2c9c6
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_5db59a03
type
Brown Note
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5db59a03
comment
Brown Note: Was this for the band. There was a rumour that one of the band members got institutionalised after recording. This was later confirmed to be Brian.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_5db59a03
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Spiderland (Music) / int_5db59a03
 Spiderland (Music) / int_67784113
type
Non-Appearing Title
 Spiderland (Music) / int_67784113
comment
Non-Appearing Title: "Washer" is the only exception to this.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_67784113
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_6a1c2a6
type
Cosmic Horror Story
 Spiderland (Music) / int_6a1c2a6
comment
Cosmic Horror Story / Gothic Horror: Several songs' lyrics have strong elements of these. Even the ones that aren't explicitly horror stories still have an unsettling undercurrent.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_6a1c2a6
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Spiderland (Music) / int_6a1c2a6
 Spiderland (Music) / int_6d332aea
type
Driven to Suicide
 Spiderland (Music) / int_6d332aea
comment
Driven to Suicide: "Washer", possibly.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_6d332aea
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Spiderland (Music) / int_6d332aea
 Spiderland (Music) / int_74149c93
type
Epic Rocking
 Spiderland (Music) / int_74149c93
comment
Epic Rocking: Every song on the album is over five minutes long. "Washer" is the longest, approaching nine.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_74149c93
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_782937dc
type
Team Shot
 Spiderland (Music) / int_782937dc
comment
Team Shot: One of the creepier examples.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_782937dc
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_80a247a9
type
Breather Episode
 Spiderland (Music) / int_80a247a9
comment
Breather Episode: "For Dinner..." serves as the cooldown track between "Washer" and "Good Morning, Captain".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_80a247a9
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_82accf22
type
Gainax Ending
 Spiderland (Music) / int_82accf22
comment
Gainax Ending: "Good Morning, Captain". Is it real? Is the captain hallucinating? Is the captain dead? No one knows. "Nosferatu Man" also qualifies, as it's never exactly clear what happened to the queen (it's implied that he fed from her and killed her, but this album being this album, you can't be too sure).
 Spiderland (Music) / int_82accf22
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Spiderland (Music) / int_82accf22
 Spiderland (Music) / int_83445b04
type
Pun
 Spiderland (Music) / int_83445b04
comment
Pun: "Nosferatu Man" has the lyric "My lids are opened when the sun is high".Explanation "Lids" referring to both eyelids and coffin lids.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_83445b04
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_898ff050
type
Villain Protagonist
 Spiderland (Music) / int_898ff050
comment
Villain Protagonist: The vampiric protagonist of "Nosferatu Man", who seems to be some sort of Serial Killer.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_898ff050
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Spiderland (Music) / int_898ff050
 Spiderland (Music) / int_8c00118f
type
Spoken Word in Music
 Spiderland (Music) / int_8c00118f
comment
Spoken Word in Music: Like narration drawn out as the music gets darker with the narration? You're in luck.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_8c00118f
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1.0
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Spiderland (Music) / int_8c00118f
 Spiderland (Music) / int_8c41d6e9
type
Nameless Narrative
 Spiderland (Music) / int_8c41d6e9
comment
Nameless Narrative: Every song except for "Don, Aman", whose eponymous character is also the only character.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_8c41d6e9
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_9b6acdb3
type
Lyrical Cold Open
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9b6acdb3
comment
Lyrical Cold Open: "Don, Aman": "Don stepped outside."
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9b6acdb3
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Spiderland (Music) / int_9b6acdb3
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: "Breadcrumb Trail" begins with the protagonist searching for a ship at an amusement park. The plot of "Good Morning, Captain" centres around the survivor of a shipwreck.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9d12bbc1
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_9da3227a
type
Careful with That Axe
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9da3227a
comment
Careful with That Axe: The chorus of "Nosferatu Man" and the ending to "Good Morning, Captain", the latter of which made Brian vomit right after.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9da3227a
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_9f6fb586
type
Leitmotif
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9f6fb586
comment
Leitmotif: What three of the four main sections of "Breadcrumb Trail" are: the clean 7/4 riff plays when the protagonist and the fortune teller are walking around; the 12/8-15/8 sections resemble a rollercoaster ride; the 4/4-6/4 section with dissonant chords play when the narrative focuses on the ride's operator.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_9f6fb586
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Spiderland (Music) / int_9f6fb586
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a6254a7a
type
Loudness War
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a6254a7a
comment
Loudness War: Averted with the 2014 remaster, which maintains a solid dynamic range despite being noticeably louder than the original.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a6254a7a
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Spiderland (Music) / int_a6254a7a
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a7055a94
type
Classical Anti-Hero
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a7055a94
comment
Classical Anti-Hero: Don of "Don, Aman" has many elements of this character type.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a7055a94
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1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a7055a94
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Spiderland (Music) / int_a7055a94
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a823fa03
type
The Un-Smile
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a823fa03
comment
The Unsmile: Spiderland's iconically creepy cover shows the band treading water in a lake in an abandoned quarry near their hometown Louisville with deranged, barely smiling facial expressions.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_a823fa03
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Spiderland (Music) / int_a823fa03
 Spiderland (Music) / int_aa2cd0c9
type
Motifs
 Spiderland (Music) / int_aa2cd0c9
comment
Motifs: There's a lot of water imagery in each song. "Breadcrumb Trail" starts off with the narrator looking for a ride called "the pirate ship". The narrator in "Nosferatu Man" says "Like a bat I flushed the girl" when he talks about killing someone. Don's situation is compared to "swimming underwater in the darkness." "Washer" has a lot of imagery of drowning and crying. "Good Morning, Captain" is the most obvious one, being about the only survivor of a shipwreck.
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_aa30e350
type
Sole Survivor
 Spiderland (Music) / int_aa30e350
comment
Sole Survivor: The captain in "Good Morning, Captain" is seemingly the only survivor of a shipwreck, until he hears a voice at the door.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_aa30e350
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_b53077b3
type
Take That!
 Spiderland (Music) / int_b53077b3
comment
Take That!: CD copies of the album often feature a disclaimer on the back cover reading "this recording is meant to be listened to on vinyl," a not-so-subtle jab against the Compact Disc, which had already become the dominant format for music at the time of the album's release.
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_b65839aa
type
Thrash Metal
 Spiderland (Music) / int_b65839aa
comment
Thrash Metal: The jam section in "Nosferatu Man" has elements of this, and Todd Brashear has cited Metallica as an influence on the album as a whole.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_b65839aa
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Spiderland (Music) / int_b65839aa
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ba557643
type
Terms of Endangerment
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ba557643
comment
Terms of Endangerment: It's implied that the 'queen' in "Nosferatu Man" is an unfortunate trespasser.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ba557643
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ba557643
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_ba557643
 Spiderland (Music) / int_bd0d6395
type
No Social Skills
 Spiderland (Music) / int_bd0d6395
comment
No Social Skills: The protagonist of "Don, Aman".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_bd0d6395
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_bd0d6395
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_bd0d6395
 Spiderland (Music) / int_be8416ea
type
Shrouded in Myth
 Spiderland (Music) / int_be8416ea
comment
Shrouded in Myth: Due to the band's semi reclusive nature, creepy sound, nearly limited information, and their reputation as Short-Lived, Big Impact, Spiderland sounds all the more mysterious.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_be8416ea
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_be8416ea
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_be8416ea
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c04b1231
type
Jump Scare
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c04b1231
comment
Jump Scare: The guitar hook after the second verse of "Good Morning, Captain" (which is featured in the page quote) acts as this.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c04b1231
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1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c04b1231
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
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Spiderland (Music) / int_c04b1231
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c4286511
type
For Doom the Bell Tolls
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c4286511
comment
For Doom the Bell Tolls: The eerie, chiming guitar at the start of "Good Morning, Captain" suggests the lonely sound of a ship's bell.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c4286511
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c4286511
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_c4286511
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: "Nosferatu Man" references "Ramblin' Man" by Hank Williams, and displays a reversal of the situation in both songs: "Ramblin' Man" ends with the song's protagonist dead and his wife standing at his grave, while "Nosferatu Man" is about the protagonist reminiscing about his (possibly) dead queen.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_c75df49a
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb70651c
type
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb70651c
comment
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: "Breadcrumb Trail", "Nosferatu Man", and "Good Morning, Captain" all have surreal elements to their narratives. However, whether these are really happening or not is left very ambiguous throughout the songs and abruptly stop before any explanation can be given.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb70651c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb70651c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_cb70651c
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb9dc500
type
Perishing Alt-Rock Voice
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb9dc500
comment
Perishing Alt-Rock Voice: So perishing Brian didn't so much sing as mumble spoken word narration most of the time, and fell ill due to the strain of yelling the climax of "Good Morning, Captain".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb9dc500
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cb9dc500
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_cb9dc500
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cc4b45f6
type
Word of God
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cc4b45f6
comment
There was a rumour that one of the band members got institutionalised after recording. This was later confirmed to be Brian.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cc4b45f6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cc4b45f6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_cc4b45f6
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cdfe12c3
type
Nothing Is Scarier
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cdfe12c3
comment
Nothing Is Scarier: Many of the songs have undercurrents of horror to their lyrics, but the actual horrors themselves are never actually described, so what they are is left to the listener's imagination. This is most obvious on "Good Morning, Captain", but it's present on several of the other songs as well.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cdfe12c3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cdfe12c3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_cdfe12c3
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce0c96f8
type
Train Song
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce0c96f8
comment
Train Song: "Nosferatu Man" makes frequent references to trains.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce0c96f8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce0c96f8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_ce0c96f8
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce2969d8
type
Spiritual Antithesis
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce2969d8
comment
Spiritual Antithesis: To Talk Talk's Laughing Stock, the other Trope Maker for post-rock that came out in the same year. The two, while both considered cornerstones of the genre, are so starkly different from each other that they inadvertently illustrate just what a nebulous phrase "post-rock" actually is. Laughing Stock is a lush, jazzy record that uses diverse instrumentation and free flowing song structures to create a peaceful, spiritual, faintly melancholic atmosphere. It was made by a British band that already had several commercially successful New Wave Music albums under their belt, and featured over a dozen studio musicians playing everything from saxophone to viola. Spiderland meanwhile is a sparse, cold, eerie record made in a basement by a bunch of Louisville punks, which uses unusual song structures, deadpan vocals, and skeletal production to create an oppressive, macabre atmosphere. If Laughing Stock is a beautiful, Edenic garden, then this album is an old, rusting railroad bridge standing over a swamp.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce2969d8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ce2969d8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_ce2969d8
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cfdb9e17
type
Cerebus Syndrome
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cfdb9e17
comment
Cerebus Syndrome: While still creepy and having that same horror undercurrent as the rest of the album, "Breadcrumb Trail" at least has some semblance of a positive time and a happy ending. After that, however, the mood of the album plummets immediately and doesn't let up.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cfdb9e17
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_cfdb9e17
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_cfdb9e17
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d028ca10
type
Deliberately Monochrome
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d028ca10
comment
Deliberately Monochrome: The black and white photo of the band helps the cover capture the album's sound very effectively: cold, contrasting and creepy.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d028ca10
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d028ca10
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_d028ca10
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d058677e
type
Amusement Park
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d058677e
comment
Amusement Park: The setting for "Breadcrumb Trail".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d058677e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d058677e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_d058677e
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d0f0a80d
type
One-Word Title
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d0f0a80d
comment
One-Word Title: The album and the song "Washer".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d0f0a80d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d0f0a80d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_d0f0a80d
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d13e0db3
type
Heartbeat Soundtrack
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d13e0db3
comment
Heartbeat Soundtrack: A lot of the drumming in the album resembles heartbeats, and even the quickening guitars in "Don, Aman" evoke this effect.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d13e0db3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d13e0db3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_d13e0db3
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d2566b32
type
Hunting the Most Dangerous Game
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d2566b32
comment
Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: The plot behind "Nosferatu Man".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d2566b32
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_d2566b32
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_d2566b32
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
type
Lyrical Dissonance
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
comment
Lyrical Dissonance: "Breadcrumb Trail", despite being as dark as the rest of this album instrumentally, pretty much revolves around making a new friend at a carnival. Brian's anguished screaming of "creeping up into the sky"? It's about a rollercoaster. The song still fits in with the general dreamlike ambience of the rest of the record, even lyrically, and there's arguably a subtext that something traumatic has happened to one of the characters (as suggested here), but what exactly that trauma is has been left out - the song simply ends before we can find out.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dcb9c541
type
Ship Tease
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dcb9c541
comment
Ship Tease: Between the narrator and the fortune teller in "Breadcrumb Trail". See the lyrics at the bottom of the page for the clearest example.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dcb9c541
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_dcb9c541
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1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
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Spiderland (Music) / int_dcb9c541
 Spiderland (Music) / int_df01f397
type
"When I'm Gone" Song
 Spiderland (Music) / int_df01f397
comment
"When I'm Gone" Song: "Washer".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_df01f397
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1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_df01f397
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_df01f397
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e303d198
type
Whole-Plot Reference
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e303d198
comment
Whole-Plot Reference: "Good Morning, Captain" is based on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e303d198
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e303d198
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_e303d198
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e3109dae
type
Switching P.O.V.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e3109dae
comment
Switching P.O.V.: "Don, Aman" and "Good Morning, Captain" are in third-person narration, while the rest of the album consists of first-person perspectives.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e3109dae
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e3109dae
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_e3109dae
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e90a93b2
type
Creepy Monotone
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e90a93b2
comment
Creepy Monotone: Brian McMahan and Britt Walford's spoken word parts. As creepy as Brian's are, "Don, Aman" shows that Britt can make it even creepier.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e90a93b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_e90a93b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
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Spiderland (Music) / int_e90a93b2
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ea2e9f2d
type
No Ending
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ea2e9f2d
comment
No Ending: Lyrically, almost all of the songs fall into either this or Gainax Ending. Or sometimes both. Musically, this is an Averted Trope, however.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_ea2e9f2d
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 Spiderland (Music) / int_ea2e9f2d
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Spiderland (Music) / int_ea2e9f2d
 Spiderland (Music) / int_eeb4a5eb
type
Anti-Climax
 Spiderland (Music) / int_eeb4a5eb
comment
Anti-Climax/Surprisingly Happy Ending: The story behind "Breadcrumb Trail" starts off relatively normal before descending into a weird and terrifying experience. Then, just as suddenly as it all began, all the surreal aspects of the song end and we're treated to the protagonist simply leaving.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_eeb4a5eb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_eeb4a5eb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
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Spiderland (Music) / int_eeb4a5eb
 Spiderland (Music) / int_f8cbda13
type
Textless Album Cover
 Spiderland (Music) / int_f8cbda13
comment
Textless Album Cover: One which only added to the mystique of the record. Combined with the band members' eerie smiles, the album art becomes subtly unwelcoming and oblique. A fitting match for the music.
 Spiderland (Music) / int_f8cbda13
featureApplicability
1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_f8cbda13
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Spiderland (Music) / int_f8cbda13
 Spiderland (Music) / int_fea27091
type
Buffy Speak
 Spiderland (Music) / int_fea27091
comment
Buffy Speak: "Breadcrumb Trail" with: "I pulled back the drape thing on the tent". This was how Spiderland got its name: McMahan's younger brother, upon hearing the album, said that it sounded "spidery".
 Spiderland (Music) / int_fea27091
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1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_fea27091
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1.0
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Spiderland (Music) / int_fea27091
 Spiderland (Music) / int_name
type
ItemName
 Spiderland (Music) / int_name
comment
 Spiderland (Music) / int_name
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1.0
 Spiderland (Music) / int_name
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1.0
 Spiderland (Music)
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Spiderland (Music) / int_name
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Spiderland (Music)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Math Rock / int_e089950b
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Post-Hardcore / int_e089950b
 Spiderland (Music)
hasFeature
Post-Rock / int_e089950b