Slint 'Good Morning, Captain' (Live in Louisville, 2005)

I imagine it's not actually legal to write an indie-slash-alternative blog without including a post about Slint. However, 'Spiderland' really is that good.

The album winds up in the driving, relentless and unnerving 'Good Morning, Captain'. The song opens with a lone, keening guitar figure that loops round a couple of times before the drums and bass crack in, setting up a simple, locked groove. Spoken word is the order of the day, intoning what seem to the last words of the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

A dynamic (wordless) chorus explodes before the track locks back into its groove, building up, before breaking down and exploding with David Pajo's arcs of expressive guitar. We break down into gently strummed guitars, preparing for a loud bit (thereby inventing Mogwai), before hitting the final verse where he finds the dying ship's captain and the sky splits open with (King) crimson peals of guitar and the vocal erupting into spine-tingling shrieks of "I miss yooooouuuuuu!"

We draw to a close with a trail of decaying overdriven guitar.

Stunning stuff that blew the roof of at their All Tomorrow's Parties in 2005.

Download Slint 'Good Morning, Captain (Live in Louisville, 2005)' (mp3, Rapidshare)