''Tweez'' is the debut studio album by American rock band

Slint Slint was an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986. The band consisted of guitarist and vocalist Brian McMahan, guitarist David Pajo, drummer and vocalist Britt Walford, Todd Brashear (bassist on ''Spiderland''), and ...

and the only studio recording released before their disbandment. It was originally released on the label Jennifer Hartman Records in 1989 as the only record put out by the label, which was run by their friend, Jennifer Hartman. It is the only Slint album to feature bassist

Ethan Buckler Ethan Buckler is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the bands King Kong and Slint. He is currently living in Louisville, Kentucky. Life and career 1986–1987: Slint In 1986, Buckler formed Slint with Dav ...

. The album was reissued by

Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. To ...

in 1993 after the group's follow-up, '' Spiderland'', began to generate a cult following.

Background

''Tweez'' was recorded at Studiomedia in Evanston,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

, and was produced by

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

. All of the album's song titles are taken from the names of the band members' parents, with the exception of "Rhoda", which was named after drummer

Britt Walford Britt Walford (born March 16, 1970) is an American musician best known for being the drummer, co-founder, and occasional guitarist for the post-rock band Slint. Early life Walford grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and attended the J. Graham Bro ...

's dog: "Ron" and "Charlotte" are named for Walford's parents, "Nan Ding" and "Darlene" for guitarist

David Pajo David Pajo (born June 25, 1968) is an American alternative rock musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres such as hardcore punk, math rock, post-rock, electronica, folk rock and indie pop. Though ...

's, "Carol" and "Kent" for guitarist and vocalist

Brian McMahan Brian McMahan (born January 26, 1969) is an American musician from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a guitarist and vocalist in the seminal rock bands Squirrel Bait and Slint. After the breakup of the latter in November 1990, he went on to play with ...

's and "Warren" and "Pat" for those of bassist

. On the vinyl version of the album, the individual sides of the record are labelled and given in the track listing as "Bemis" and "Gerber".

Artwork

The cover art for Tweez features a photo of a Saab 900 Turbo, with the Saab logo on the grille replaced with "Slint" and the "Turbo" logo replaced with the album's title. On the vinyl version of the album, both labels feature parodies of the Saab logo, with "Slint" replacing "Saab" and the name of either side of the album (Bemis and Gerber) replacing "Scania." Additionally, a figure can vaguely be seen sitting in the drivers side of the vehicle, through the windshield. This was years later revealed in the 2014 documentary '' Breadcrumb Trail'' to be fellow Louisville musician and friend of the band

Will Oldham Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

, wearing a crash helmet. On CD and cassette versions of the album, the message "This recording is meant to be listened to on vinyl." can be seen on the back.

Reception

The album has received generally mixed to positive reviews. John Bush of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

described the album as "a fine, if bizarre recording, often switching from bass-led rhythm to rhythm in the same song."

Track listing

The vinyl sides are referred to as "Bemis" and "Gerber".

Personnel

Slint *

– guitar *

– guitar, vocals *

– drums, vocals *

– bass guitar Guest Musicians * Edgar Blossom – vocals on "Warren" Technical *

(credited as Some Fuckin Derd Niffer) –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

* Joe Oldham – cover photography * Lisa Owen – cover design

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1989 debut albums Slint albums Albums produced by Steve Albini Touch and Go Records albums Self-released albums