[I got access to Promonet and they just added Alias stuff, so I can offer up one of my favorite 90s indie rock bands without any bandwidth. Weeeeee!]

My friend Jim Graff gave me All the Nation’s Airports at my graduation party. I had no idea what this band was, this Archers of Loaf. From the beginning of “Strangle by the Stereo Wire” I was initially a bit confused, put off, even. The voice was gruff, but the vocals were still melodic. The meandering guitars, dissonant. But it grew on me. I left it at that until a few years ago when I got into college radio. The band was basically over by the time I even heard of them. Now Eric Bachmann has gone on to do a very different project, the folksy (and also great) Crooked Fingers, along with putting out solo stuff.

If I’m telling you stuff you already know, fine. If I’m not, it’s time to pay attention!

We have to start with “Web in Front”. This was their first (or maybe second) single and what put them on the “college rock” radar. It’s a total classic by this point, though I’m not sure exactly why. It’s a cool song with some nonsensical lyrics. “All you ever wanted was to be my spine? Oh I do love you!”

Download “Web In Front” (mp3)
from “The Loaf’s Revenge”
by Archers Of Loaf
Alias

• Stream from Rhapsody

Possibly my second favorite track of the AofL’s is this odd one, “Chumming the Ocean” off of that graduation present album, All the Nation’s Airports (which promonet doesn’t have at all so I’ll host this myself). It’s a piano waltz dirge with just Bachmann’s gruff vocals on top.

Archers of Loaf - Chumming the Ocean (mp3)

Following are the rest of the AofL tracks available that I like, approximately in descending order.

White Trash Heroes was the album that made everyone think the Loaf (as I don’t call them) had sold out, had gone commercial. I like it, though. It’s definitely higher fi than some of their earlier stuff, but it’s enjoyable stuff. This is the lead-off track from it, “Fashion Bleeds”.

Download “Fashion Bleeds” (mp3)
from “White Trash Heroes”
by Archers Of Loaf
Alias

• Stream from Rhapsody

“Wrong”: strained, but melodic, vocals over mostly energetic distorted guitars; of course, there’s the more subdued breakdown part of the song. Reminds me of Superchunk at times.

Download “Wrong” (mp3)
from “The Speed Of Cattle”
by Archers Of Loaf
Alias

• Stream from Rhapsody

“Harnessed in Slums” Melodic vocals over cool meandering distorted guitar parts.

Download “Harnessed in Slums” (mp3)
from “Harnessed In Slums”
by Archers Of Loaf
Alias

• Stream from Rhapsody

“Audiowhore” starts quiet. Well silent, really. Putzes around for a minute before suddenly going into, you guessed it, loud distorted guitars. Less melody, more yelling. Also the guitars (and bass) are darker than a lot of other Archers of Loaf songs.

Download “Audiowhore” (mp3)
from “Vs. the Greatest of All Time”
by Archers Of Loaf
Alias

• Stream from Rhapsody

Buy Archers of Loaf releases from insound.

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So using these tracks from Promonet requires a specific link look, which is different (as you may have noticed) from my link look. I’d prefer to keep things looking the same, but if the trade off is consistent look or more tracks, which would you prefer?

This entry was posted on Friday, June 15th, 2007 at 12:39 am Posted by adrian in mp3s. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.