Archers of Loaf: White Trash Heroes

Archers of Loaf: White Trash Heroes

1998

Alias Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Fashion Bleeds  2. Dead Red Eyes  3. I.N.S  4. Perfect Time  5. Slick Tricks and Bright Lights  6. One Slight Wrong Move  7. Banging on a Dead Drum  8. Smokers in Love  9. After the Last Laugh  10.White Trash Heroes

To date, this is the final Archers of Loaf album. Hopefully, they'll rectify that soon, since they recently reunited to play some shows...

This is an interesting final album. It doesn't quite have a "final album" feel...It seems like they were trying to transition into something different... They do nothing but try on new guises on every track. Eric Bachmann even tries on some new voices. Sometimes I can't even tell if it's him or someone else in the band singing...could be a mix.. The sparse and spooky "Dead Red Eyes" sounds like Neil Young singing (I love when the full band comes in and that incredible, growling bass guitar lurches around the track. Hell yes!). On the post-punk pastiche "I.N.S" it sounds like Ian Curtis has returned from the afterlife to haunt us one last time, and is it just me or is that Neil Diamond crooning the title track?

This isn't exactly my favorite album by the band but oddly enough it's the one I probably find myself reaching for the most now. There's something about all the unanswered questions it presents...it also doesn't hurt that "Fashion Bleeds" is one of the most kick-ass opening tracks ever! I'm a sucker for that ear-splitting keyboard sequence that takes over at the end of the track...I'd probably keep rewinding it if I didn't know "Dead Red Eyes" was coming next...

I was in college back when this was released and I can remember selling some of my other records to buy this one. I was absolutely enamored with "All the Nations Airports" and suddenly saw this in the CD store in the Alpena Mall.

I know most malls are pretty sparsely populated these days, but I'm telling you, the Alpena Mall was totally desolate during the freaking 90's!! Those were boom times, right? I don't even know if they're  still open... Do malls even still have places to buy music?

 Are there still Tape Worlds?

  ...or Camelot Music Stores out there? Where the CD's cost $17.99, or whatever...Haven't seen one in awhile.... Holy shit, blank videotapes used to cost $15.99?!

Well, let's say goodbye to the Archers by playing "Fashion Bleeds."

Archers of Loaf: All the Nations Airports

Archers of Loaf: All the Nations Airports

1996

Elektra Records

Format I Own it On: Vinyl and Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Strangled by the Stereo Wire  2. All the Nations Airports  3.Scenic Pastures  4. Worst Defense  5. Attack of the Killer Bees  6. Rental Sting  7. Assassination on X-Mas Eve  8. Chumming the Ocean  9. Vocal Shrapnel  10. Bones of Her Hands  11. Bumpo  12. Form and File  13. Acromegaly  14. Distance Comes in Droves  15. Bombs Away

Now, this is how you do a major label debut! The ambition is off the chart and the cleaned up sound gives them a depth that you didn't even realize was previously lacking.

This plays like some sort of loose concept album, with its repeated themes of terrorism, airports, assassinations, police and detectives, but I'm not sure exactly what's going on. These guys aren't  known for their legibility, still, it nails a distinct, addictive dark mood, while remaining memorable and melodic.

The songs are all strung together into a loose suite;  The guitars crackle and buzz to life on "Strangled By the Stereo Wire" which spirals out of control into "All the Nations Airports" and so on... There's a few breaks and some awesome instrumentals, particularly the blinking charm of "Acromegaly."

If nothing else, at least check out the desolate piano ballad Chumming the Ocean," which features extremely vivid oceanic imagery, yet I can't quite pinpoint what it's getting at...On the surface it appears to be about a diver about to be eaten by a damn shark, yet it also seems to hint at something bigger and more universal than that...I don't know. Yet I feel every moment of it... I guess you might as well let it play through the next couple of songs too, since "Vocal Shrapnel" and "Bones of Her Hands" are two of the bands most careening, slamming and catchy rockers yet...

(Above, 2012 reissue Cover. Either cover works fine for me, honestly...)

So, yea...One of my personal favorite albums from the 90's. The replay value of this thing is off the charts...I probably played this album just about everyday from 1996 to 1999...It brings back fond memories of my late high school/early college days and the endless hours blown playing Sega and listening to this CD... Who knows, maybe I'll dig out the Sega tonight too...

 Who's down for some Mr. Bones?

 While we're playing Mr. Bones, let's listen to "Chumming the Ocean," by the Archers of Loaf...Enjoy...

Archers of Loaf: The Speed of Cattle

Archers of Loaf: The Speed of Cattle

1996

Alisa Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1.  Wrong  2. South Carolina  3. Web In Front  4. Bathroom  5. Tatyana  6. What Did You Expect?  7. Ethel Merman  8. Funnelhead  9. Quinn Beast  10. Telepathic Traffic  11. Don't Believe The Good News  12. Smokin' Pot In The Hot City  13.Mutes In The Steeple  14. Revenge  15. Bacteria  16. Freezing Point  17. Powerwalker  18. Backwash

An Archers of Loaf compilation album featuring early singles, compilation tracks, etc. This has been made almost (but not quite) obsolete by the recent 2012 reissues, but there are still a few tracks here that don't appear on them.

A large chunk of these I just listened to a couple of days ago  on the "Icky Mettle" reissue, and these are honestly all of my favorites here. I love "South Carolina" which is an awesome track that outlines a civil war between North and South Carolina. "What Did You Expect" is catchy too!  All of this "Icky Mettle" -era stuff is so visceral and fun, I can't help but love it.

The tracks that appear on the "Vee Vee" reissue are a lot more laid back and is more in line with that album's twisted melodic sense. "Telepathic Traffic" being an easy favorite.

Now for the material that doesn't appear on the reissues;  "Funnelhead" is a cover of a song by the band Tree People (who I'm not familiar with). It's a 6/8 rocker that's not bad by any means, but nothing to write home about...

"Dear Mom,
Today I listened to Archers of Loaf cover a song by the Tree People...It was pretty catchy and I liked it a lot..."

See, there's just no reason for it...

The album ends with a great 5 song Peel Session.  They do a version of "Freezing Point" that I like even more than the version on "Vs the Greatest of All Time." It's a bit more easy-going and catchy. It would easily trump the original if they didn't have to censor it for the BBC, but honestly, when they replace the offending word for "BBC," it is kinda funny, so I'm going to let it slide and declare this the superior version. They also do a monster 7-minute song that doesn't appear anywhere else, called "Bacteria,...

Would I buy this if I already had all the reissues? A good question...to be honest, as an Archers of Loaf die-hard I would say go ahead if you found it for a decent price...I'd say the Peel session and the Tree People cover are worth a good five bucks...

Actually, just print this one on your home computer, and take it to the used record shop and buy it now! How's that for service?

Let's check out "Tatyana" by the Archers of Loaf...

Archers of Loaf: Vee Vee

Archers of Loaf: Vee Vee

1995

Alias Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing:  1. Step into the Light  2. Harnessed in Slums  3. Nevermind the Enemy  4. Greatest of All Time  5. Underdogs of Nipomo  6. Floating Friends  7. 1985  8. Fabricoh  9. Nostalgia  10. Let the Loser Melt  11. Death in the Park  12. The Worst Has Yet to Come  13. Underachievers March and Fight Song

It kind of seemed that right around this time, the Archers of Loaf could have really broken through, but to their credit, they didn't dumb things down, or grasp for an obvious hit...

Their approach this time around was opening things up without losing even a bit of their edge...If anything the guitars were tangled into even more impenetrable knots, and in this process they discover a sort of queasy beauty...

I mean, when I listen to the song "the Greatest of All Time," it makes me want to cry and it gives me a distinct seasick  feeling...I can't explain it...There's an unexpected poignancy to the line "The underground is overcrowded." I actually find it  touching for no reason on Planet Earth, which is the type of reaction that make me obsess about records and blather about them endlessly on blogs in the first place...

"Harnessed in Slums" is just a ripping indie-rock anthem. Big, rousing, and infectious, you won't have any choice but to pump your fist in the air and shout along "We Want Waste!"  Wait...what are we shouting?  "Fabrico" also falls into this category. One of my favorites Archers tracks, this never fails to get me going! I also love the  instrumental "1985" that basically functions as an intro to "Fabrico," it reminds me of  fried Christmas lights.There's just so many cool little things to hear on this record. I listened to this possibly even more than "Icky Mettle" at the time... This was definitely a summer of '95 staple...



This is the alternate cover they used for the 2012 remaster...it's pretty cool but I think the original photo cover was more mysterious...Even though this one has weird tentacles coming out of the grill of the car...

And what do you serve to guests at your Friday Night Record Party when you're spinning "Vee Vee" by the Archer's of Loaf? 

Why, what else but...

Nachos...

and a microbrew...

Sounds good to me...Let's relive the summer of 1995 (during which apparently there was some unprecedented heatwave that hammered the Midwest...Huh...Don't remember that.. Must have been hanging out in the air conditioning watching the O.J. Trial...)

(I wonder if my O.J. pogs are worth anything yet.... )

Anyway...let's relive 1995 by listening to "Harnessed in Slums" by the Archers of Loaf...Enjoy...

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?!!