Boasting the indie hit "Web in Front," Icky Mettle (1993) provoked comparisons to Pavement and the Replacements and thrust this foursome to the top of the Chapel Hill, N.C., heap. Vee Vee's twisted tunefulness stamps it as representative of that scene, but these boys are stranger than most of those bands. Weirdo song titles ("Underachievers March and Fight Song," "Let the Loser Melt") and lyrics stuffed with quips ("the underground is overcrowded") testify to a welcome humor; dissonant guitars lend a wicked edge. And when the Archers settle into full-out rocking – the hammering "Harnessed in Slums" – they do so with satisfying savagery. (alias, 818-566-1034) (RS 704)

PAUL EVANS