Archers of Loaf: Vee Vee

Building on the shredding noise that was their debut, Icky Mettle, Vee Vee incurs the same fits of jarring guitar screeches (including a couple that sound an awful lot like a large truck backing up) and blister the listener’s ears with raw rock ‘n roll. Built around themes of idol worship, rock cynicism and, uh, drinking, it seems the Archers have tried to write some more melodic tunes (although not too melodic) that involve more clearly defined structures. What results is an album full of memorable tunes that got me through my slag of a job hauling dummies around as a production assistant for Rescue 911 — my first job out of college. I played this one to death, honestly, and it hasn’t lost anything since. It’s easily my favorite Archers album.