Random Rules Playlist 012: Slint Family Tree
Tracing the musical output of Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, David Pajo and Todd Brashear, in playlist form
Something really must have been in the water in Louisville in the 90s. If you had to distill the output of the hardcore / post-hardcore / math rock / emo / whatever scene into one album, it would have to be Slint’s second album, the absolute masterpiece Spiderland. Undisputedly one of the most influential albums of the 90s, it has also aged incredibly well. It’s hard for me to wrap my brain around how young the guys in Slint were when they came up with Spiderland. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, David Pajo and Todd Brashear were scrawny, nerdy teenagers, not even old enough to drink booze legally when they recorded it. By the time I heard Spiderland, shortly after it came out in 1991, I thought, “I have to get my hands on everything else these guys have ever released or played on,” especially when I learned that the same guy who played drums on Spiderland also played on The Breeders’ debut, Pod. In fact, I would say that a big reason I was not a straight A student in high school was that I spent a little too much time filling my brain with the Slint and Rodan family trees, so that when I was at the record store, I wouldn’t miss any of their side projects’ releases (and they certainly didn’t make it easy, with Pajo being associated with over a dozen different aliases / projects).
I tried to highlight tracks from these releases that really showcase the contribution of the specific member(s) of Slint in question. For example, I chose the songs from Pod where Britt Walford’s drumming really shines, and the Tortoise songs where David Pajo’s guitar work is at the forefront.
Random Rules Playlist 012: Slint Family Tree
This playlist is roughly in chronological order, based on the original release date of each track:
Squirrel Bait - “Sun God” - Feat. Brian McMahan & Britt Walford
Squirrel Bait - “Perfect” - Feat. Brian McMahan & Britt Walford
Squirrel Bait - “Thursday” - Feat. Brian McMahan & Britt Walford
Squirrel Bait - “The Final Chapter” - Feat. Brian McMahan & Britt Walford
Squirrel Bait - “Short Straw Wins” - Feat. Brian McMahan & Britt Walford
Squirrel Bait - “Black Light Poster Child” - Feat. Brian McMahan & Britt Walford
Squirrel Bait - “Kid Dynamite” - Feat. Brian McMahan & Britt Walford
King Kong - “Movie Star” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford
Slint - “Nan Ding” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford
Slint - “Kent” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford
Slint - “Darlene” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford
The Breeders - “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” - Feat. Britt Walford
The Breeders - “Hellbound” - Feat. Britt Walford
The Breeders - “When I Was A Painter” - Feat. Britt Walford
The Breeders - “Iris” - Feat. Britt Walford
The classic Slint lineup Slint - “Breadcrumb Trail” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Slint - “Nosferatu Man” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Slint - “Washer” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Slint - “Good Morning, Captain” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Slint - “Todd’s Song” - Feat. David Pajo, Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
The Breeders - “Don’t Call Home” - Feat. Britt Walford
The Breeders - “Safari” - Feat. Britt Walford
King Kong - “Dirty City Rainy Day” - Feat. Britt Walford
Palace Brothers - “I Tried To Stay Healthy For You” - Feat. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Palace Brothers - “O Lord Are You In Need?” - Feat. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Palace Brothers - “King Me” - Feat. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Palace Brothers - “O Paul” - Feat. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear
Slint - “Glenn” - Feat. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear, David Pajo
Slint - “Rhoda” - Feat. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, Todd Brashear, David Pajo
Evergreen - “Wholeness Of The Soul” - Feat. Britt Walford
Evergreen - “Blood” - Feat. Britt Walford
Evergreen - “Knowledge” - Feat. Britt Walford
Palace Songs - “Horses” - Feat. Brian McMahan, Britt Walford, David Pajo, Todd Brashear
Papa M - “Safeless” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Napoleon” - Feat. David Pajo
The For Carnation The For Carnation - “How I Beat The Devil” - Feat. Brian McMahan, David Pajo
The For Carnation - “Get And Stay Get March” - Feat. Brian McMahan, David Pajo
King Kong - “Danger” - Feat. David Pajo
Tortoise - “Glass Museum” - Feat. David Pajo
Tortoise - “The Taut and Tame” - Feat. David Pajo
Tortoise - “Along The Banks Of Rivers” - Feat. David Pajo
Tortoise - “Gamera” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Vol de Nuit” - Feat. David Pajo
Palace Music - “Little Blue Eyes” - Feat. David Pajo
Evergreen - “Fairlane” - Feat. Britt Walford
Evergreen - “Solar Song” - Feat. Britt Walford
The For Carnation - “On The Swing” - Feat. Brian McMahan
The For Carnation - “I Wear The Gold” - Feat. Brian McMahan
The For Carnation - “Preparing To Receive You” - Feat. Brian McMahan
Aerial M - “Skrag Theme” - Feat. David Pajo
Aerial M - “Dazed and Awake” - Feat. David Pajo
Aerial M - “Vivea” - Feat. David Pajo
Aerial M - “AASS” - Feat. David Pajo
Nardwuar gifts Jack Harlow a copy of Spiderland Tortoise - “TNT” - Feat. David Pajo
Tortoise - “Swung From The Gutters” - Feat. David Pajo
Tortoise - “The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls” - Feat. David Pajo
Tortoise - “Everglade” - Feat. David Pajo
Pullman - “Gravenhurst” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Arundel (I)” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Knocking The Casket” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Up North Kids” - Feat. David Pajo
Matmos - “Rigged Seance” - Feat. David Pajo
The For Carnation - “A Tribute To” - Feat. Brian McMahan
The For Carnation - “Moonbeams” - Feat. Brian McMahan
Dntel - “Why I’m So Unhappy” - Feat. Brian McMahan
Mogwai - “Take Me Somewhere Nice” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Local Boy Makes Good” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Jaded Lover” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Northwest Passage” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Glad You’re Here With Me” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Roses In The Snow” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Beloved Woman” - Feat. David Pajo
Continental Op - “Fantasy” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Mountains Have Ears” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Wedding Song No. 3” - Feat. David Pajo
PAJO - “High Lonesome Moan” - Feat. David Pajo
PAJO - “Mansion Twins” - Feat. David Pajo
Yo La Tengo - “Autumn Sweater” (Tortoise Remix) - Feat. David Pajo
PAJO - “Foolish King” - Feat. David Pajo
PAJO - “Wrong Turn” - Feat. David Pajo
PAJO - “I’ve Just Restored My Will To Live” - Feat. David Pajo
Dead Child - “Twitch Of The Death Nerve” - Feat. David Pajo
Dead Child - “Never Bet The Devil Your Head” - Feat. David Pajo
Kim Deal - “Biker Gone” - Feat. Britt Walford
Watter - “Bloody Monday” - Feat. Britt Walford
Watter - “Sacrificial Leaf” - Feat. Britt Walford
Goatsnake - “Another River To Cross” - Feat. David Pajo
Karen O - “I Shall Rise” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Walking On Coronado” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “Walt’s” - Feat. David Pajo
Papa M - “The Upright Path” - Feat. David Pajo
Household Gods - “Storied Past, Bright Future” - Feat. David Pajo
Household Gods - “(Before the) Avalanche” - Feat. David Pajo
Jaye Jayle - “Help!” - Feat. Britt Walford
Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy - “I Love You” - Feat. David Pajo
Now, for the really fun stuff - Slint Family Tree: key tracks not on Spotify:
For further listening, may I recommend an older playlist I made w/ an extremely deep dive into the “slowcore” genre:
This is truly the most in-depth music article I’ve ever read, and I absolutely love the inclusion of songs missing on Spotify that you can listen to right here! Love this!