The fourth album by North Carolina's "Archers of Loaf" is in fact their most inventive. Having already produced three successful records amidst building an impressive indie-rock following since they debuted in '93, the Archers have reached the point in their careers where songwriting maturity has unseated past accomplishment, with growth replacing expectation.

Going by past accolades the group received for each of their last three records, "White Trash Heroes" would appear, on the surface, to be something of a calculated risk for its exploratory nature. In much the same way as The Replacements evolved when reaching that point for their fourth record ("Let It Be") as well, so too has A.O.L., only where The Replacements went more dry and acoustic, the Archers have opted for more ambience in their sound. The songs settle less for the distorted range of motion that was their usual accompaniment, to set a rather calming atmosphere that very much relates the bands' newest motives toward future expansion.

Played with a feverish pop slant, as well as technically embellished structures, songs like the churning "Fashion Bleeds" and "Dead Red Eyes," which sound something like Aerosmith's "Kings & Queens" with Jagger behind the mic, really stand out, yet defy one another in the way they're presented. "I.N.S.," "One Slightly Wrong Move" and "Banging on a Dead Drum" are a reach back to their past, with heavy doses of audio feedback, while "Perfect Time," the atmospheric "Slick Tricks & Bright Lights," and the unexpected calm of the closing title track, all return to the gentler pattern that most of the record adopts.

Though very much a musical upgrade, "White Trash Heroes" is a product that sees the Archers undoubtedly continuing to have fun in what they do while they keep the listeners guessing. They have committed to broadening their fan-base and are yet able to keep the formative substance together which gave them their first critical appeal. Nonsensical though the name suggests, and believe me, I could have hours of fun with this one, with their latest effort, these satisfied backwoods-suggestive "white-trash" promoters are nothing to snicker at.