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The Archers: Much More Than Merry Men CD Review

4 stars

Youthink’s BC’s Best Teen Band 2011 releases debut self-produced EP.

There’s a certain balance that can be hard to achieve; that perfect blend between musical integrity and catchy hooks, lyrics that are both wise and relatable, and accessible melodies without sacrificing instrumental depth.
 
Victoria locals, The Archers, made reaching that balance seem nearly effortless with their debut EP, Much More Than Merry Men.
 
The six-song album starts out with its best foot forward with a simple but intriguing xylophone solo in The Sun Will Rise. While the kick-off track is the strongest song on the album, the rest of the CD does anything but disappoint.
 
Sullen Breeze (Part Two) is an ambitious addition to the EP that, although I had a bit of trouble making my mind up about, provides an interesting interlude from the straight folk that makes up the rest of Much More Than Merry Men.
 
From a band who only just graduated high school five months ago, Much More Than Merry Men is a well-done album that avoids being too formulaic. If that isn’t enough, according to drummer, Liam Moes, it was all home recorded.
 
“We did all the technical side of the recordings (mixing, mastering, etc) and that turned out to be a lot harder than we expected. That was probably the most difficult part, for me at least. Lots of respect was gained for the people that record bands.”
 
Despite the challenges, the album is very polished without sounding too overproduced. With such a successful EP and a killer release show at the Mary Winspear Theatre in Sidney, B.C. back in August, The Archers have no intention of slowing down. Now that they’ve leaped the hurdles of debut albums and high-school graduations, The Archers are full of aspirations.
 
“No set plans right now. Just ideas. We hope to tour B.C. and Alberta early next year… play festivals over the summer and then hopefully get into the studio and record a feature-length album.”
 
Much More Than Merry Men provides solid evidence that The Archers have huge potential and the work ethic to produce tangible results. It could be easy to write them off as just another folk-influenced Mumford and Sons spinoff, but The Archers have managed to prove that they are indeed, much more than that.