The Cover Uncovered: Slint go for a dip with ‘Spiderland’
While alternative rock exploded in the mainstream during the 1990s thanks to the grunge movement, the 1980s saw many bands emerge that made crucial developments in the genre. From shoegaze and indie rock to post-rock, many sub-genres of alternative rock gained prominence during the final two decades of the 20th century.
One of the defining bands of the post-rock genre was Slint, whose unique brand of guitar music allowed them to become cult icons. Their second (and final) album, Spiderland, is considered a landmark record, not just in the post-rock genre but alternative rock as a whole. With its unconventional use of song structure – often using mellow, drawn-out guitars before unleashing a wall of noise – and emphasis on texture and complexity rather than radio-friendly accessibility, the record exemplifies the best qualities of post-rock.
Slint formed when the band members were just teenagers, releasing their first album, Tweez, produced by Steve Albini, in 1989. Spiderland followed in 1991, although Brian Paulson took charge of production. Unfortunately, Slint parted ways before Spiderland was even released, meaning the record failed to become as popular as it could’ve been. However, it still sold fairly well and is now considered an incredibly influential recording, inspiring many bands currently making music, from PJ Harvey to Black Midi.
The cover of Spiderland is arguably more recognisable than some of the album’s songs, with many people on Reddit making memes out of it or pilgrimaging to the location to see it for themselves. The cover art is a black-and-white photograph of the band in a quarry, their heads bobbing just above the water. Considering the dark and brooding atmosphere of the record, the band members all look quite happy, which makes for an interesting contrast.
The photograph was taken by Will Oldham, with the location being Utica Township, Indiana. Before the now-iconic image was taken, several members of the band had been arrested for trespassing at the quarry, with drummer Britt Walford recalling in the documentary Breadcrumb Trail that it was “Earth Day, 1990”. After being bailed out of jail by the father of one of their friends, they returned to the quarry on a later date to enjoy another dip and take some photographs.
Bassist Todd Brashear revealed, “I feel like we knew it was a band photo; we came out here with that in mind. I don’t remember if we were saying, ‘this is gonna be for an album’ or if we were just taking pictures, but it was supposed to be band pictures.” They can’t even remember whether they took the photo before or after they recorded the album, with Walford and Brashear humorously looking at each other in confusion during the documentary clip, agreeing that they have “no idea”.
Oldham also shared how the group paid for the film and got it developed themselves, so he did little more than snap the photos, “I never saw the negatives or anything.” A few alternative takes from the shoot are available to view online, although the documentary reveals that the band don’t even have a clue where the original negatives are.
It appears the photo was more of a happy accident, with Oldham yielding an image he and the band had no idea would become one of alternative rock’s most iconic album covers. The documentary features Oldham, Walford and Brashear recreating the cover almost 25 years later, remarking, “It’s a little chilly!”
Watch the clip of the three discussing the making of the album cover below.
