Breadcrumb Trail
Whenever I listen to Slint, there's just something.....off. It's like watching The Shining; you appreciate its brilliance but you feel like you should stop watching. Not necessarily out of fear of what's on screen, but for fear of where your mind is careening to. Slint's second and final record, Spiderland, is widely considered a masterpiece of indie/punk/sound/something. But again, it's almost impossible to describe. Four kids out of Louisville, Kentucky spit out something that must've come from the depths. And then they were done. But Spiderland was just finding its way.
Twenty-plus years after their demise arrives the documentary Breadcrumb Trails. I watched tonight and although it's filled with interviews with band members, the mystery remains. It's briefly mentioned that one band member checked himself into a hospital immediately following completion of the record. But no explanation follows. All four members have gone onto different projects, and, at least on the surface, seem to be living fairly normal lives. But all these years later, it's still haunting, jarring but equally perfect. A masterpiece, indeed.
