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Top 10 Slowcore Albums

ByAnthonyCarew

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Inthe1990s,facedwiththetorrentialonslaughtofgrungeandtheincreasinglyabrasive
waysofalternativemusic,ararehandfulofartistsstartedtochallengetheprevailing
rockistmentality.Eventually,theselonesomesatellitesbandslikeCodeine,RedHouse

HistoryofAlt/IndieMusic

Painters,andLowwouldbegroupedin,together,asslowcore.Membershipintheclub

Genres

wasnotforthefainthearted:playingslow,sad,frighteninglyquiet,remarkablybeautiful

Artists

musicintheeraofjackbootedmoshpitswasfraughtwithperil.Here,then,isthebestfrom

Top10Lists

thosewhodared:arollcallofclassic1990sLPsfromthesemastersofthespartan.

DefinitiveAlternativeAlbums

1. Codeine 'Frigid Stars' (1991)

Reviews
Interviews

It'sinterestinghowhistoryworks.Overthepasttwo

RecordLabels

decades,Slint'sSpiderlandhasgrowntosomething

Concerts&Festivals

resemblingclassicrockstatus,whilsttheartistically

IntheMedia

TODAY'S TOP 5 P
ENTERTAINM

comparableFrigidStarshasremainedoverlookedand

Blog

underrated.AshaveCodeinethemselves.Thetriowere

AlternativeMusicBasics
AlternativeMusicNamesto
Know

Codeine'FrigidStars'.Sub

gamechangers:radicallyrazingawayrock'n'roll'sbluster

PopRecords

andbombast,leavingsomethingbarelyevenpassingfor

AlternativeMusicReviews&
Recommendations

barebones.DefinedbyStephenImmerwahr'sdispassionate,nasalmonotoneandslow,

UpdatedArticlesand
Resources

consciousness.Notonlydidtheydefinetheslowcoresound,buttheyputthe'slow'init.

ploddingbassplaying,Codeineplayedstarksongsinahauntedstateofdruggedoutsemi
FrigidStarsisalandmarkLP,initsownway,butitseemsfatedtoremaineternallyonthe

fringes.More

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2. Red House Painters 'Down

Colorful Hill' (1992)

BeforethereleaseofDownColorfulHillasetoflong,un
rockingsongsthatwereessentiallyMarkKozelek'sdemos
noonecaredaboutRedHousePainters.Theirmelancholy
folkrockschooledinpainfullyuncoolactslikeSimon&
RedHousePainters'Down
ColorfulHill'.4AD

Garfunkel,CatStevens,andJohnDenverwasignoredin
aneraofsarcasticindierock.TheyhadnolocalBayArea

followingtheirgirlfriendsdidn'tevenlikethem,preferringJane'sAddictionandNirvanato
Kozelek'ssolemnlysung,mournfullydeliveredtunes.But,whenthemostinfluentialindie
oftheday,England's4ADRecords,pluckedDownColorfulHillforrelease,acultwas
bornKozelek'smelancholyruminationsonloss,regret,andnostalgiainforminganew
generationofslow,sad,sombresongsmiths.More
ReadReview

3. Bedhead 'What Fun Life Was'

VIEWMOREINENTERT

3. Bedhead 'What Fun Life Was'

(1994)
TheaptlynamedBedheadwerebornonidleafternoonsin
smalltownTexas,wherebrothersMattandBubbaKadane
wouldwileawaytheemptyhoursofteenagetediumvia
endlessjamming.Bythetimetheywereinchargeofa
Bedhead'WhatFunLife
Was'.TranceSyndicate

bonafideband,theKadanesfunctionedwithakindof
musicalESPtheirplayingtogethersosingularthat

Bedheadcouldeasilyfitanothercopaceticsixstringer,TenchCoxe.Playinginterlocking
patternsthatalmostsoundedlikeasemislumberoustakeonmathrock,thetrioof
guitaristsplayedwithabelllikequality:theirclean,undistortednotesringing,chiming,and
pealinginvariousmeasures.TheKadanesvocalswereuncharismaticmumbles,butthe

ENTERTA

waytheywereburiedwithinthesoundonlyseemedtoheightenit.More
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4. Low 'I Could Live in Hope' (1994)

Low,slowcore'spatronsaints,havelongreveledinan
angelicsongworldofheavenlyharmoniesandholierthan
thouairsthemarried,MormonpairofMimiParkerandAlan
Sparhawkplayingtheirstrikinglyspartan,powerfullyquiet
musicwiththekindofreverenceusuallyreservedfor
Low'ICouldLiveinHope'.

devotionals.Admittedly,they'vegrownbothgrumpierand

VernonYard

funnierovertheyears,testingtheboundariesofthe'Low

sound'withblastsofdistortionandstraightuppop,amongstotherexperiments.Their
debut,though,capturedthematatimeinwhichtheirdefiantlyantirockstancewasatits
mostastonishinglypure:ICouldLiveinHopeasetofreallyslow,reallyquiet,reallysad,
really,really,reallybeautifulsongslaidoutnakedinthefaceofgrunge.More

5. Bluetile Lounge 'Lowercase'

(1995)
Thoughcompletelyunknownoutsideslowcore'sclosed
walls,AustralianoutfitBluetileLoungearealegendary
propositionforthegenre'sdevotees.TheirtwoLPstheir
luminous1995debutLowercase,anditslessmagical,still
BluetileLounge'Lowercase'.

reallygood1998followup,HalfCutarefulloflong,

Summershine

ponderoussongsinwhicheveryinstrument,beitguitaror

drum,ringsout,lingering.LowercasecaughtthematanearlypeakDanielErickson's
songspilotinganocturnalwastelandinwhichanxietiesaren'ttenseandfrantic,butslow
building,andallconsuming.It'safivesong,45minutestudyinisolationism,ina
persistentlonelinessleavingonefeelingutterlyunmooredunsurprisingsentimentsfora
bandfromPerth,theworld'smostisolatedmajorcity.
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6. The For Carnation

'Marshmallows' (1996)
BrianMcMahonwasthedrivingforcebehindSlint,thosein
hindsightcolossuseswhoseSpiderlandprovidedablueprint

VIEWMORE

forpostrockandinspiredmanysubsequentslowcoreacts.
BythetimeMcMahonregatheredwithTheForCarnation,
thosesilencetoviolencehighwiredynamicsofSlint'smutant
hardcorehadwashedawayintoastillkindofmenacing
gentleintrospection.Onapairofmid'90sEPs,1995'sFight
Songsand1996'sMarshmallows,McMahonmintedanew
soundfarmoredelicatethanexpected.Thehighlightof
TheForCarnation
'Marshmallows'.Matador

Marshmallowsistheastonishinglypretty,endlesslyromantic
"OntheSwing,"twonearperfectminutesinwhichalilting,

lulling,hypnoticguitarpartrocksbackandforth,andMcMahonwhispersatenderpoemin
growingup'sear.More

7. Smog 'The Doctor Came at Dawn'

(1996)
Aniconoclastschooledintheshtickofoutsiderheroes
JandekandScottWalker,KentuckiancurmudgeonBill
Callahanhasneverbeen,strictly,aslowcoreact.Where
othersonthislistappliedtheformalausterityofhardcoreto
UP NEXT

Smog'TheDoctorCameat
Dawn'.DragCity

theirnearsilentbands,Callahanwasjustasinger
songwriterwhodeliveredhissongsatasnail'space.The

DoctorCameatDawnmarkedhismoststrippeddown,nearmonasticsettheabsurd

Genre Profile - Slowcore

Genres

comedyofmuchoftheSmogcatalogueabandonedonasuiteofsolemn,starknaked,
genuinelyunsettlingbreakupsongs.Chroniclinghisdivorcefromformercollaborateur
CynthiaDall,heairstuneslike"AllYourWomenThings,"whereinCallahancaressesa
"spreadeagledolly"ofleftbehindundergarmentsspreadoutonhisbed.More

8. Cat Power 'Myra Lee' (1996)

FutureBillCallahanloveinterest(and,withKnockKnock,
futurebreakupalbumsubject),ChanMarshall,wasan
unknown,wildlyuntrained,particularlystrangesongwriter
whensheknockedoutthisscrappysetofscratchy,scared,
utterlyhauntedsongs.Thoughfunctioninginapseudorock
triowithSonicYouth'sSteveShelleyandTwoDollar
Guitar'sTimFoljahn,Marshallpilotsproceedingsinto
desolate,oftatonal,genuinelyunfriendlyterritory.Onsongs
like"IceWater,""Enough,"andtheutterlyguttural"NotWhat
YouWant,"Marshallsoundslikealostsoul,standingonthe
veryfringesofrecognizablesongform/sanity.Atsucha
CatPower'MyraLee'.Smells
LikeRecords

point,fewcould'veexpectedthatthisleftfieldfigurewould
onedayachievemassculturalcrossover.More

9. Ida 'I Know About You' (1996)

Overtheirlongrunningtenure,Idaessentially
husband/wifeNewYorkersElizabethMitchellandDaniel
Littletonwouldslowlygrowclosertothebandthey
claimedtobemodelingthemselvesonallalong:Fleetwood
Mac.Intheirearlydays,though,thepairclungtoquietude,
Ida'IKnowAboutYou'.

simplicity,andLowesquevocalharmonyLittleton,a

SimpleMachines

veteranofprotoemohardcoreactTheHated,particularly

revelinginthenonrocknessofhisnewdigs.Ida'ssecondrecord,IKnowAboutYou,isa
setofsad,forlorn,fallenlovesongsinwhicheveryadornmentbeitbrusheddrums,
scoredstrings,orbasicbasslineseemscarefully,cautiouslychosen.Inlateryears,
Mitchellwouldfindunexpectedfameplayingoldfolksongsforkids,butthat'sanother
story...More

10. Movietone 'Day and Night'

(1997)
Intherealmofslowcore,Movietoneareamore'jazzy'entry
theirsemisyncopatedsounddaringtodabblewithbrushed

drums,doublebass,piano,clarinet,andbeachylyrics(!).
But,withinrock'sbroadercontext,they'rebarelythere:Kate
Wright'svocalsabreathcaughtinherthroatRachelBrook's
guitarsdanglingwhisperstheirfondnessforvrit
recordingsoftenaddinglayersoftapehissandroomtoneto
tunesthathaveallthebrutalityofdiaphanouscurtains
fluttering.Theirsecondrecord,DayandNight,closeswitha
Movietone'DayandNight'.

tenminutesanceofguitarharmonics,malletdrums,and

Domino

sweetsingingitstitle,"TheCrystallisationofSaltatNight,"

effectivelyevokingthequiet,gradual,barelyperceptiblenatureofMovietone'smusic.

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