Archers of Loaf

At once laudable for its refusal to rehash material the band had already mastered, and frustrating for its failure to lead anywhere equally satisfying, WTH is the sound of a band hitting an artistic wall and trying to tear it down. The wall wins, but the band bashes out one or two interesting bricks before it does. Archers broke up after this release.

Hey, we all have our personal alt-rock standbys--campaigners who've stuck out a sound that rings our chimes dead center. So if I tell you mine are the Voidoids revisited, will I maybe make a sale? Two guitars, one choppy and one fleet, rip up bebop-worthy dissonances over punk forcebeats, and if the frontman seems less than charismatic, well, Richard Hell types never hold their bands together for six years. Seeker that he is, Eric Bachmann varies croak with tweetle, massages some keybs, even samples. Minor details, I insist. This is their sound, there is none higher, other indie bands should just retire. (Grade - A-)