''Icky Mettle'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

recorded by the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Archers of Loaf Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1991. The group toured extensively and released four studio albums, one compilation, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was release ...

. It was produced and engineered by Caleb Southern at Kraptone Studios in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

, and released by

Alias Records Alias Records is a small American indie-rock record label based in Lexington, Kentucky. Alias has released albums by American Music Club, Archers of Loaf, Yo La Tengo, The Magnolias, The Loud Family, Too Much Joy and Knapsack, among othe ...

in 1993. A deluxe reissue of the album was released by

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expand ...

in 2011. The album was recorded and mixed in seven days. According to

Eric Bachmann Eric Emil Bachmann is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. He rose to prominence as the frontman of Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers. Originally a saxophone major at Appalachian State University, Bachmann's music is di ...

, "We spent like $5,000 to make it."

Reception

''Icky Mettle'' received generally positive reviews. ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

'' declared it the "Best Indie Rock Album of the Year". '' The Gazette'' listed it among the top 10 albums of 1993.

Legacy

''Icky Mettle'' ranked number 32 in ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''s original Top 100 Albums of the 1990s list, and ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...

'' ranked it at number 56 in their 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever list. In a retrospective review, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

''s Mike Powell describes it as "an album of boyish fits and noisy guitar flurries. It's indie rock as hearty and art-free as oatmeal, before the line separating it from the mainstream dissolved, before it became so... eclectic." In a 2005 interview with '' The Triangle'', Eric Bachmann reflected on the album: "When we first came out we had that energy. It's a weird thing that you can't put your finger on... I listened to ''Icky Mettle'', and I almost cringe when I hear it. But what the people probably liked when they heard that record was the energy we were putting out." In 2011,

Chris Carrabba Christopher Andrew Carrabba (born April 10, 1975) is an American musician who is the primary songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the band Dashboard Confessional, lead singer of the band Further Seems Forever, and lead vocalist for the folk ...

Dashboard Confessional Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, formed in 1999 and led by singer Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" off their debut album, '' The Swiss Army Roma ...

covered "Web in Front" on his album '' Covered in the Flood''.

Track listing

All songs written by Eric Bachmann, Eric Johnson, Matt Gentling and Mark Price. #" Web in Front" – 2:09 #"Last Word" – 3:35 #"Wrong" – 3:40 #"You and Me" – 3:10 #"Might" – 2:04 #"Hate Paste" – 2:46 #"Fat" – 1:19 #"Plumb Line" – 2:09 #"Learo, You're a Hole" – 3:51 #"Sick File" – 1:42 #"Toast" – 4:38 #"Backwash" – 3:27 #"Slow Worm" – 3:32 #"Audiowhore" — Japanese bonus track #"Lowest Part is Free" — Japanese bonus track

Personnel

– vocals, guitar *Matt Gentling – bass *Eric Johnson – guitar *Mark Price – drums

Notes

# # #

References

{{Authority control 1993 debut albums Archers of Loaf albums Albums produced by Caleb Southern Alias Records albums Merge Records albums Fire Records (UK) albums