Archers of Loaf: Icky Mettle

Archers of Loaf: Icky Mettle

1993

Alias Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing: Disc 1:  1. Web in Front  2. Last Word  3. Wrong  4. You and Me  5. Might  6. Hate Paste  7. Fat  8. Plumb Line  9. Learo, You're a Hole  10. Sick File  11. Toast  12. Backwash  13. Slow Worm

Disc 2: 1. Audiowhore  2. Lowest Part is Free 3. Freezing Point  4. Revenge  5. All Hail the Black Market  6. Wrong  7. South Carolina  8. Web in Front  9. Bathroom  10. Tatyana  11. What Did you Expect?  12. Ethel Merman  13. Quinn Beast  14. Powerwalker

I love this album! So great! It's just a big roaring, tangle of scrambled guitars and vocals that alternate between a mumbled croak and a raging roar! Tell me "Web in Front" isn't one of the greatest indie pop songs ever! Well, I guess you could tell me it isn't, but I wouldn't believe you...

It's kind of shocking how much indie rock used to actually rock. If this was put out now it would probably be hailed as some sort of hardcore punk classic or something, but at the time, it didn't seem that aggressive for some reason... There was a point in time that I hadn't listened to this for a few years and after putting it back on I was blown away at  how brutally they conveyed their abstractness. Definitely a 90's classic...

This is good '90's...

And this is bad '90's...

 You can tell the two apart because bad 90's always involves a soul patch or goatee...

It's hard to believe, looking at that picture of the Archer's that such shlubby guys were even allowed to be in a band...let alone one that would actually get signed. But that was kind of a thing back then.... Not only could you get signed looking like that, but there was a good chance you could find yourself on MTV...

I don't mean prime time MTV or anything...I'm saying you could find yourself on 120 minutes, talking to Matt Pinfield...

Matt: So what are your influences...

Shlubby Alt Rocker: All kinds of bands, really.. The Arrowmen...the Woodheads...that kind of Seattle Swamp Metal slash Indie Bowling Night type of thing...

Matt; Oh, yea..the Woodheads...grumble...grunmble...great band...

Shlubby Alt Rocker: I just made that one up, Matt...

Matt: Ahhhh, yea...yea..I know that, I know that...

Anyway, I remember watching the video for "Web in Front" on 120 minutes...I even taped the show that night and I recall me and my friend Joe watching and re-watching that video just to see that little funny guy...

I loved that little funny guy!

I also love "Wrong" which to me, is one of the defining indie-rock songs of the '90's. I mean check it out...It starts with this weird little mutant riff and then a Morse code lead pops in for a few seconds, the drums start slowly building up, then Eric Bachmann screams, "YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG!"  and the thing just explodes! I can't even tell you how many times I've played this song over and over during those summers in the 90's...

It seemed for the longest time everybody just kind of forgot about this band or half-remembered them as some sort of Pavement rip-off, but I'm glad to see folks coming around and re-discovering the Archers of Loaf. They recently remastered their catalog, and the one I own now is the reissued version, which includes an extra disc, made up of the equally awesome "Vs the Greatest of All Time" e.p and various singles and compilation tracks that I was familiar with through the old "Speed of Cattle" outtakes & B-sides album.

Highlights of the bonus disc include the shrugging indie-ballad "Freezing Point," the ridiculously awesome epic "Tatyana" and the spaghetti-western style  "Revenge."  Really, just about everything on both of these discs is top-notch... Once I throw on disc one, I'm always guaranteed to see it through to disc two, and then wishing for more...

If you haven't heard these guys in awhile or you're looking for some good 90's music that you might have missed, I can't recommend this more! Buy it ! Buy it! Why aren't you buying it?!!