It’s not difficult to see why Les Savy Fav personally asked Archers Of Loaf to play their ATP this year. The band's mix of brash, often abrasive force and melodic pop sensibilities is something Archers Of Loaf do very well, and no doubt Les Savy Fav have learnt a lesson or two from them.
Icky Mettle is the band’s debut album, initially released in 1993 on Merge. Re-issued here on Fire records, it contains the album’s debut offering, plus a bonus disc containing their follow-up EP Vs The Greatest of All Time, as well as a series of 7” songs released on various labels throughout the early to mid-90s.
The debut is typical of Merge output for this period, the thrashing guitar sounds fused with irresistible pop hooks - something Superchunk had been spewing out for a few years. It marked a significant time for ‘indie-rock’, outside of the Nirvana grunge umbrella there existed many of these groups that all seemed to come to fruition within proximity - Built to Spill also released their debut in '93, likewise Modest Mouse’s ascent started in '93 with the release of their first cassette tape, and Polvo had their second LP out on Merge within that year too.
The opening ‘Web in Front’ is typically American in its strained, slightly nasal outpourings, a style that now feels very familiar within standard American indie-rock bands. ‘Web in Front’ feels very familiar by now, but through no fault of its own – the song almost acting as a template for the genre. The song really comes to life as the overlapping vocals thrash against one another with utterly seductive guitar hooks. It may only be two minutes long, but it paves the way for the rest of the record in marvellous fashion and arguably carved the career path for many a band too.
The ensuing ‘Last Word’ and ‘Wrong’ are magnificently brutal in their delivery, an abrasive onslaught of screeching guitars and confrontational vocals that exude the manic volume of someone simply screaming, but somehow manage to sound delightfully melodic. The album's (and ultimately, the band's) success lies in its ability to balance the melodic with the ferocious, a tight rope that they continually walk with precision and ease.
Revisiting the songs, there is also a degree of sadness that washes over you, as there are clearly many bands who heard these kind of records and just got it all wrong. The big power chords, even bigger choruses, subtle melodies and screaming vocals have often been misread and translated into the Nicklebacks of today. However, at the same time it makes one appreciate the difficulties of obtaining the balance within their sound - never does it sound overly bombastic or false in its sentiment or delivery. It persistently feels like this was made for a sweat-soaked, beer-stained basement setting, never a sterile stadium.
Icky Mettle is pretty much flawless at what it does; many songs feel like singles yet there is still a continuity and coherence that runs through the record delightfully. The ensuing EP sticks close to the album stylistically - it was recorded within close proximity and apparently so. However, what could have been an unnecessary add-on of songs that feel like they aren’t album-worthy, is instead an EP that carries a sonic template from the record, but adds development, intrigue and variation.
Archers of Loaf’s influence feels more omnipresent and pertinent than ever today, Les Savy Fav, The Hold Steady, Fucked Up, Future of The Left, Surfer Blood, Yuck, hell even The Foo Fighters are all bands that feel heavily in debt to the band. So perhaps this reissue will awaken a new generation of people to a band that had such a hand in shaping the musical leanings of the previous one.