All the Nations Airports (Deluxe Remaster)

The North Carolina band’s third album (and first distributed by Elektra), All the Nation’s Airports represents a best-case scenario for a cherished indie-rock act transitioning to a major label with idiosyncrasies intact. These 15 songs see Archers of Loaf stuff another overabundance of hooks into a sometimes abrasive thicket of guitars. The band’s efforts to tighten their songwriting yield sterling results like “Strangled by the Stereo Wire” and “Vocal Shrapnel”, an especially fitting title thanks to frontman Eric Bachmann’s signature rasp.