Freak-folk campfire shenanigans. There — it’s out of the way.
Now let’s move on, because Akron/Family are so much more than the
Devendra Banhart-meets-Animal Collective comparisons they often get.
This band is just as capable of making Beach Boys bungalow rock as
country-fried stoner jams and textured indie spasms. Set ‘Em Wild,
Set’ Em Free lives up to its name — there’s no restraint
here. Akron/Family plow head on into the disparate aesthetic that has
made them critical darlings. “Everyone Is Guilty” is the unlikely
offspring of !!! and Wilco, a funky disco-folk romp with a proggy
breakdown and sun-saturated harmonies. “Creatures” features a
programmed beat and some spotty doses of noise and soul. Then, for
those looking for something a bit more traditional, there’s the
beautiful and pure Americana of “The Alps & Their Orange Evergreen”
and “Set ‘Em Free.” But the chaotic outbursts, screaming guitar solos
and abrupt detours are here too, on noise-infested songs like “Gravelly
Mountains on the Moon” and “MBF.” — Whelihan
This article appears in May 13-19, 2009.
