IN REVIEW: Archers of Loaf - "Reason in Decline"

 

Over the course of their initial run in the '90s, Archers of Loaf never got the breakthrough they deserved; sure, they would eventually gain distribution by a major label (as so many fringe acts of the era did) and get to open for a handful of high profile acts, but the four albums they released from 1993 to 1998 just couldn't expand the band's reach much further than the critics' hearts and college campuses. It wasn't for lack of tunes, that's for sure; Web in Front, the very first song on their very first album, is packed with the crunchy guitars, scrappy production and slacker charm that propelled the Pavements of the world to stardom. If I have to guess, I'd say they were victims of circumstance, not weird enough to stand out and not conventional enough to fit in.

Whatever the case, after giving it all that they could, health issues and creative fatigue contributed to a mutual, amicable split shortly after the release of White Trash Heroes in 1998. From there, members formed new bands and/or moved on with their lives until 2011, when they embarked on a reunion tour and reissued their discography; however, the idea of new music wasn't considered a real possibility until just before the pandemic. Raleigh Days, a standalone single released in February of that year, was the first new music heard from Archers of Loaf in over twenty years, and its quality fired up hopes that a new album was could not only arrive but thrive.

The pandemic made everything move slower, and the highly anticipated fifth Archers of Loaf album was no exception; a couple more singles appeared in 2020, but it took another two years for Reason in Decline to finally drop. The singles aren't here, with the band instead choosing to go with a fresh batch of songs; while I would have liked the singles included, this is totally fair since the album does have a somewhat different feel. So as to say, as much as Raleigh Days screamed out the band's return in the frenetic, nostalgic language they spoke in originally, Reason in Decline is a more thoughtful, informed take on their sound. Much like their neighbours Superchunk, Archers of Loaf in 2022 have well outgrown their slacker roots and found the kind of insight that only an extra quarter century of life experience can provide; the nervous energy of youth replaced by the assured performances of seasoned players, and the frothing anxiety of '90s suburbia supplanted by the weathered frustration of post-Trump America. 

This frustration is there from the drop, with Human slowly building itself up into an anthem as Eric Bachmann's refrain of "it's hard to be human" being both the understatement of the decade and the album's most simple, effective and identifiable lyric. Saturation and Light keeps the energy up with its tom rolls and intricate guitar flourishes propelling a stoic melody and another solid Bachmann delivery. Screaming Undercover acts as the album's quasi title track, with Bachmann repeating "reason in decline" and offering rapid fire verses over a fiery post-punk rager. From here, there's a noticeable change in the album's temperature, as Mama Was a War Profiteer and Aimee go for a more measured, nuanced approach; the former sees Bachmann watches in horror as his surroundings are swallowed up by war, while the latter uses a mournful melody to illustrate a simple moment between two lovers.

Lead single In the Surface Noise follows, one of the most outwardly political songs on the album; referencing insurrection, terrorism and the pandemic over a surging anthem, it's the soundtrack to a world in disarray, and a harrowing one at that. Breaking Even is a little less tense musically, allowing for a bit of looseness that's a welcome break from the moodier material that preceded it but is perhaps the record's least effective tune. The energy picks up further with Misinformation Age, a quick ditty with a near-unhinged vocal by Bachmann that matches the tone of the song nicely. From here, there is the earnest, emotionally elevated The Moment You End, which leads into the stunning piano-led closer War is Wide Open; the latter track finds Bachmann holding strained notes as part of his performance, punctuating the fatigue of the track's protagonist. The song rises and falls in intensity, with bursts of noise washing over the song throughout and Bachmann exclaiming "the days grow numb as you wave goodbye" before the album crashes to a close with an exhausted, final bash of the keys. The album may have ended, but the war rages on.

This isn't what anyone expected would happen when Web in Front hit the airwaves nearly thirty years ago, not to this band and not to this world; and yet, here we are. With Reason in Decline, Archers of Loaf don't look to solve the world's problems any more than they were looking to reclaim their glory days; rather, it's a sturdy and mindful record that simply acts as an assurance that, no matter how long you leave for, it's possible to come back better.

October 21, 2022 • Merge

Highlights Human • Mama Was a War Profiteer • In the Surface Noise