Name: Icky Mettle
Brand: Archers Of Loaf

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

MRG415LP

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: Yes

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Gatefold Sleeve with Foil Detail plus 14 Extra Digital Tracks with Download.

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-07-21

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0673855041513

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Total Cap

Black LP

MRG415CD

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Download code: No

Digipack. With Bonus CD featuring 14 tracks.

2019-12-13

0673855041520

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2 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Archers Of Loaf

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Merge Records

Archers of Loaf is an American rock band from North Carolina formed in 1991. The group disbanded in 1998 and Eric Bachmann went on to pursue a solo career, while Matt Gentling supported Superchunk (also from North Carolina) during one of their tours among other things. 
The group reformed in 2011 and played a number of concerts and made a television appearance. In a 2018 interview with Eric Bachmann, he said all of the members of Archers of Loaf are on board with the idea of reforming and making a new record, saying "Oh yeah, everybody wants to do it — I just have to write the songs."

Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. Founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan, it started as a platform to release music from their band Superchunk and their friends' creations. Over the years, Merge Records has grown to include talented artists from all over the world, with some of their records even reaching the top of the Billboard music charts.
With its headquarters nestled in Durham, North Carolina, Merge Records has become a renowned name in the music industry. The label was established by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan back in 1989 with a vision to share their own musical endeavors as well as support fellow musicians within their circle.
What began as a humble endeavor quickly flourished into something much greater. Today, Merge Records boasts an impressive roster of artists spanning various genres and backgrounds. From indie rock to experimental pop, *Superchunk* paved the way for other talented musicians to join forces under this esteemed label's umbrella.

No single trend in 1990s indie rock can be traced back to Archers of Loaf. They weren't quite "lo-fi," they weren't quite "slackers," their guitars weren't quite "noisy" and their drums weren't quite "mathy." Eric Bachmann's vocals were gritty and visceral, but his lyrics were oblique and cerebral. Archers of Loafthrived on subtle contradictions, on purposeful vagaries, on tentative gestures delivered with utmost conviction. They released increasingly adventurous records for five years, and broke up with minimal drama or fanfare. This perfectly captures the energy of the band's early days, from their slapdash first singles to the scrappybrilliance of Icky Mettle itself to the more honed recordings that followed. Released on the heels of some well-received singles and a buzzed-about performance at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, Icky Mettle was a hotly anticipated debut. To say it starts on a strong note would be an understatement; opener Web in Front is quite simply among the finest indie rock songs everwritten. That a song whose lyrics are all but impossible to parse literally comes off as so immediate and relatable speaks both to Bachmann's skill with words-as-sounds, and to his bandmates' ability to put force and nuance behind his voice. Much of the credit here belongs to guitarist Eric Johnson, whose melodic and fluttery guitar parts seem to hammer the very emotional notes that Bachmann's words intentionally skirt. The second disc compiles the excellent Vs. the Greatest of All Time EP and the early singles that were previously included on the Speed of Cattle compilation. The five songs from Vs. the Greatest of All Time hint at the more spacious and muscular sound that the band would cultivate on their sophomore LP, Vee Vee, while early 7" versions of Wrong and Web in Front are disjointed and flaccid previews of their album counterparts. Uncertainty has never sounded so much like a rallying cry.

Icky Mettle

Music GB