The Archers are one of the greatest indie rock bands around right now. Since their 1993 debut, Icky Mettle, there's just been something incredible in their music. It's got a dab of punk, a slab of pop and it's undeniably powerful.

The Speed of Cattle is a collection of their b-sides and rare stuff. Record labels love to put these out, and big fans love to buy them. I, personally, have never been really into them. You know, it's like, if it never made it to the album, there's usually a reason. But even the Archers' b-sides make for a better record than most of the Nirvana- derived crap that passes for "alternative" these days.

There's a version of "Web in Front" on this record that's underproduced and crappy- sounding, but the quality of the song is so awesome that it just knocks the hell out of everything else out there. Let's face it, "Web in Front" is the greatest song of the decade so far, and while this demo doesn't do the original album version any justice whatsoever, it's still got some great songs on it.

Even though it's got its moments, I'd recommend The Speed of Cattle for Archers fans only. If you don't own any other albums by them, this is really not the place to start.

-Ryan Schreiber