 The music of Spiderland is noted for its angular guitar rhythms, dramatically alternating dynamic shifts and irregular time signatures. McMahan's singing style interchanges between mumbling spoken word and strained shouting. The lyrics of Spiderland are often written in a narrative style. Influences on the record included Gang of Four, Black Sabbath and Sonic Youth. Will Hermes of Spin summarized the album's sound as "mid- ' 70s King Crimson gone emo: screeching guitar chords and gorgeous note-spinning in odd-metered instrumentals speckled with words both spoken and sung".
