Archers of Loaf: Icky Mettle

If I could start off every mix I ever make with “Web in Front” I’d be a happy man. It’s one of my favorite songs of all time and puts me in a great mood every time I hear it. Why, you may ask, do I love it so? I have no idea, I just do. The rest of Icky Mettle is a great amalgam of angular post-rock that sounds as if the band’s equipment hasn’t been tuned in a while and their strings are snapping on every song. Before you get all scared, this is a good thing, and adds to the off-kilter, college basement sound that’s at work here. The band always sounds slightly out of control, and lead singer, Eric Bachman’s, voice always sounds as if it’s on the verge of collapse. The album is good, raucous fun that shows a group doing its indie thing without brakes.