Slint's 'Spiderland' to get deluxe box-set reissue

Released in 1991 on the Touch and Go imprint, Spiderland was Slint's second album - a majestic blend of post-rock, proto-grunge and intensely narrative lyrics, it was hailed as a classic on its release, and in the years since, its reputation and influence have continued to flourish. Cited as a major inspiration by everyone from Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor to Explosions in the Sky, the album is widely acknowledged as one of the classics from the fertile period of US alternative rock which took place in the late 80s and early 90s, and has become a template for the post-rock and math-rock sounds.

23 years on, the album is set to be reissued by Touch and Go on 15 April, having been remastered by Bob Weston (Shellac, Volcano Suns) from the original analogue masters. Along with the classic album, the deluxe, 180-gra vinyl box-set will also feature 14 previously unreleased tracks and demos, photos of the band, lyric sheets, and an introduction by Will Oldham, who took the iconic cover shot for the album.

The set will also contain a documentary, Breadcrumb Trail, by filmmaker Lance Bangs, including interviews with James Murphy, Steve Albini, David Yow, Ian MacKaye, Matt Sweeney and others. CD copies of the tracks are also included. Fans who pre-order direct from Touch and Go by March 8 will receive a free t-shirt created from the recently-discovered silk screen that Slint personally used to hand print their one and only 1989 tour t-shirt. A small number of the box-sets have also been signed by all the band members. The box-set will be limited strictly to 3,138 copies worldwide.

Speaking in a press release from Touch and Go, legendary producer Steve Albini, who recorded their dbut album Tweez, discusses his love for Slint: "I first heard Slint before they were called that, but the difference between them and their contemporaries was already in concrete. From the outset they made music to suit themselves, not an audience, and their dogged pursuit of the sound of their imagination is still utterly unique. Tendrils of continuity between the doom of heavy metal, the drama of modernist classical music and the rude musk of punk may not be apparent at first glance, but they glow like a web when illuminated by the fire of Slint's muse. Nobody thinks about their music, or music itself, like Slint. Love this fucking band."