Icky Mettle

Archers of Loaf

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 10, 1993)
• Original Release Date: September 7, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Alias Records
• ASIN: B000001HV4
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,458 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #36 in	Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative
  #70 in	Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo Fi

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like fellow indie rockers Pavement, Archers of Loaf excel in making uneasy-listening pop, with sharp, angular guitars jutting this way and that, barring the listener from turning any corner without a little work. Vocalist/guitarist Eric Bachmann is as committed a rock singer as you'll find, impressively following every note with vocal cords stretched as far as they'll go. The two guitars caterwaul like trapped animals; the rhythm section churns out a solid, scary backbeat, gluing the whole mess together into one surprisingly powerful whole. The raging, relentless "Last Word" stands as a shining example of college rock circa 1993. --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite album ever., June 13, 2002

By	hamilcar barca (nowheres in particular) - See all my reviews

I can't quite explain how this got to be my favorite album, or why it is so, except to say that every song on here is great. You can here some influences, like early punk bands, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Tom Waits and even Neil Young-ish country-rock at times, but this really does forge new ground. Along with bands like Pavement, Superchunk and many others, Archers of Loaf created a certain sound that really defined what all later indie-rock bands would sound like. What sets this band, and album, apart from those other bands is consistency. Every single song on this album is good. I don't know what else to say about it, except BUY IT NOW!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you "Indie Rock" Fans.... THIS IS THE ROOTS OF GREATNESS, March 14, 2003

By	Mitchell Manzella "mcmanzi" (Edison, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Song after song the Archers of Loaf show perfect execution of what Indie Rock is all about. Dirty yet smooth, hard yet clear... this band really has great skill with NYC style execution. Big Thanks to Kevin Smith for putting WEB IN FRONT in Mall Rats. Web In Front is probably the best song under 2 mins ever made in the genre. Overall the entire album is full of what will be classics once you hear them. Enjoy. Personal note: Archers of Loaf & Pavement found me when I was 16 years old... and I thank them for all the positive infulence they have had on my life.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you had to do was listen to it and you instantly understood the full glory of indie rock, September 5, 2006

By	Aquarius Records (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Must be something about summertime and the feeling of nostalgia and memories of my younger days that has had me going crazy over some of my favorite '90s indie rock records as of late. Recent reviews prove this, as reissues of Sebadoh and Spoon classics received my record of the week honors. Truth be told Icky Mettle is just as qualified for that honor as well. There was a period during the '90s when I used to joke that if you looked up "indie rock" in the dictionary you would find a picture of Archers of Loaf's Icky Mettle. But really, I sort of wasn't joking. All you had to do was listen to it and you instantly understood the full glory of indie rock and how totally heavy and wild and kick a-- and catchy indie rock could be. Guitars are crunchy and jagged, ringing loud and true, vocals soaring, melodies you can't EVER get out of your head, and a passionate urgency that makes your heart race and your soul shiver. It's pretty serendipitous that this record just got reissued as it's been playing around here quite a bit, Irwin rediscovered it earlier this summer, it's been rocking Andee's iPod quite a bit lately, and it gets played in the store NON-STOP!!

There is not a dud on this album... it's almost like Archers of Loaf made us the most perfect indie rock mix tape ever, except it's their entire album! The track "Web In Front" might just be THE GREATEST INDIE ROCK SONG EVER. If it's not, it's definitely top five. It jangles, it totally rocks, the vocasl are super intense but completely melodic, the arrangement is bizarre and the parts unlikely, but that only serves to make it that much more unique and unforgettable.

I can't count the times in the past that I've put songs from this record on mixes I've made for friends, crushes, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. It's got it all: the angst, the heartbreak, the longing, the anger, the catchy hooks, even the quintessential anthem about indie rockers. What a debut full length from a band adrift in a veritable sea of indie rock revolution, the next Seattle, Chapel Hill, NC. Helping to raise the bar for all their peers and proteges (Superchunk, Polvo, Pavement, etc.). This is not just some indie rock nostalgia trip, a longing for some unattainable indie rock heyday, this record has totally stood the test of time and still pretty much blows away any pop, rock or indie rock record you care to stack up against it. So utterly and completely and impossibly essential!!