Icky Mettle

Merge Records reissues all four Archers of Loaf studio albums, starting with their acclaimed 1993 debut album Icky Mettle. Re-mastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by Robert Christgau, Icky Mettle will come with bonus material including the entire Archers of Loaf vs. The Greatest of All Time EP as well as singles and b-sides from the Icky Mettle era. Reissues of Vee Vee, All the Nation's Airports and White Trash Heroes will follow.

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