There's Something Wrong With My Toast

I thought I'd make a recommendation on this rainy afternoon.


ARCHERS OF LOAF - Icky Mettle
Alias Records | 1993

It's hard not to love this record. At least for me ... and people like me.

I was driving in my car the other day and I decided to put my iPod on shuffle, get a random song, and subsequently listen to that song's respective album throughout the day (I do this often). The song "Backwash" from the Loaf's Icky Mettle (1993) album was picked by the hand of fate to brighten up my day.

This record is chock full o' music from another time while simultaneously acting as a precursor for the popular indie rock/pop punk/rock/etc. of today.

Allow me to explain:

Icky Mettle is a raw, romping, rockin' album that manages to hold true to the punk aesthetic while paying obvious homage to the underground hardcore scene that graced the mid-late 80's. At the time, Archers of Loaf burned some pretty major bridges that would become almost formulaic for the underground rock scene that would follow. By mixing their brand of indie rock with raw sounds of the underground hardcore punk scene (a la Husker Du), Archers of Loaf would almost accidentally create an underground classic. The resulting product would be a catchy, punky, sing-a-long record while being tastefully noisy and raw.

Or what I like to call, real music.

It's lyrically heartfelt. I believe lead singer Eric Bachmann when he yelps "You say I'll never be honest with you / Cause you don't deserve it anyway / No I don't think that you could love me anyway" on the song "Wrong". I believe that the screaching guitars on "Learo, You're a Hole" are emphasizing the singers feeling of discontent. I believe it.

If you're looking for that perfect pop-polished record full of perfect harmonies and ambiguous lyrics, you should run far from this record and never look back. But, in the event that you may just be ready to listen to one of the rawest, influential, and often overlooked indie rock masterpieces of the past, Icky Mettle may just brighten up your day too.

You owe it an honest chance.

Favorite Songs: Web In Front, Backwash, Hate Paste