so whats the deal with no one ever
awknowledging the fact that archers of loaf is one of the best or "the" best indie rock band ever? archers of loaf is an underground classic band. from icky metal to white trash heroes they have never fallen short of amazing songs.

what does everyone think of archers of loaf? they are on my top 5 favorite bands of all time.

screamingohmygod

I like them. "Web in Front" is one of the best songs of the 90s, IMHO.

yea no crap. it's great.

Welcome to the boards screamingohmygod, now tone it down.

i'm sorry, tone what down?

I'm curious to see if there is anyone that has heard Archers of loaf that doesn't think they are awesome. They made some great music. If "Scenic Pastures" hit the blog scene tomorrow it would be the song of the year instantly. Their legacy gets overshadowed by Pavement (in some senses wrongfully, and in others rightfully), but they had real talent. Crooked Fingers is still pretty sweet too.

Archers do get a lot of credit. They were one of the first "seminal" 90's college rock bands I heard about when I started exploring music more thoroughly. But I can understand why they wouldn't be considered one of the best. Their sound is original relative to their peers, but hardly ground breaking. It's hard not to hear a lot of Sonic Youth and the Replacements in their early stuff. White Trash Heroes was rather weak IMO in comparison to the rest of their stuff, but still had some great tracks.

Maybe if they had made a couple more notable releases or stuck around longer like Superchunk, they'd recieve more buzz. Also, I think their trademark sound was a rather "dead end" for emulation, so it's hard to directly see their influence on following bands.

"There's something wrong with my toast"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Winterlong Pixies,

Wow Pixiestame, I agree with everything you said entirely. I do think you can see some emulation of their style in things like Modest Mouse though. The Archers seemed to play songs with their guitars tuned completely wrong, and then with a singer completely off key. But it all just came together so perfectly. Compare something like the guitar sounds on "Vocal Shrapnel" and "Fashion Bleeds" to those in "A Different City".

Great lyric choice too, Pixiestame.

I think the most interesting part of the Archers being overshadowed by the likes of Pavement (Malkmus), Sebadoh (Barlow), Superchunk (Mac) and GbV (Pollard) is just how far Eric Bachmann has left those guys in the dust (when comparing these seminal 90s indie kings' recent output). The only one that comes close, IMO, is Mac from Superchunk/Portastatic. Must be something in the water in North Carolina. YLT, another giant of that era, has actually kept pace with Bachmann.

That's a good point about the leads. It's like watching a bunch of guys wander around in a parking lot after their cars broke down. I have to give a lot of credit to Bachmann forcompletely redefining himself musically and being able to move forward into new territory. I think Malkmus has produced some good material too, but it leaves me feeling like I'm just listening to some Pavement B-sides recorded at a jam session.

I think Malkmus' solo output is quite good. His first solo album especially is chock full of great tunes.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
His first solo album especially is chock full of great tunes.

So are Pavement B-sides..

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
So are Pavement B-sides..

This is true. Pavement's B-sides are occasionally better than a lot of bands' A-sides.

On a side note. I just remembered I loaned Malkmus' "Face the Truth" to a friend of mine, and he gave it back a few weeks latter having slid all over the bed of his truck. It was completely unplayable. I've only listened to the album maybe 5 times because I don't want to go out and buy it again.

Just wanted to grumble.

I've got everything Malkmus has put out post-Pavement, but they just haven't done a whole lot for me. I do love me some Pavement B-sides, though-- yummy.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
I've got everything Malkmus has put out post-Pavement, but they just haven't done a whole lot for me.

I think Malkmus' first solo album was better than the final Pavement album. Some great tunes on that one - "Jenny & the Ess-Dog", "The Hook", "Church on White", "Deado", etc.

P.S. sorry for hijacking the AoL thread.

I've often thought about posting a 90s-Indie thread over here, because it seems that most of the posters here don't have much of an appreciation of that era. I'm glad to see some interest here at the Archers' thread. Bachmann would be proud.

Also, IMO: Malkmus Self titled > Pavement B sides (sometimes) > Pig Lib > Face the Truth > Terror Twilight .

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

I also think Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade sounds a lot like 'White Trash Heros' (the song) on his Handsome Furs side project album Plague Park.

Hey, pixie, I'm sorry, but I seemed to edit your post instead of quote it above. I'm such an ASS! You had a ton of coolness in there too. Is there any chance you have a copy of what you posted above and can reprint it? I hope so. Sheesh!