Search - Akron/Family :: Set Em Wild, Set Em Free

"You and I and the flame make three"

The Pitiful Anonymous | the Acres of Skin | 08/23/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Akron/Family are an 'experimental rock band', also occasionally lumped in with the 'freak folk' stylings of The Angels of Light, or the more psychedelic Animal Collective. They have an extremely wide range of influences in their work, and yet they sound like a cohesive band with their own identity. You can hear the Led Zeppelin, the Sonic Youth, the Jethro Tull, as well the more modern sounds of Modest Mouse and The Arcade Fire. They're obviously listened to loads of obscure psychedelia and probably electronic music, too. The vocals range from the raw, out of tune modern indie style to a smooth tenor to Radiohead-esque breathless crooning. And if there was any question about it, they're definitely a bunch of hippies, as the tie dyed flag on the cover would suggest.



For the most part, they have near perfect control of all these different sounds, and their music paints subtle and colorful pictures. The band has a lot of passion and feeling in what they do. Their experiments definitely do not all find equal success, yet "Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free", their 4th album (and my first experience with the band), is an incredibly listenable album. After a little while, the listener knows each track will likely be distinct and stylistically different from the rest, even if they aren't all as compelling as "River" or "Creatures", the two best songs on the album, by far.



"River" is some kind of mad, over-intellectualized campfire singalong, complete with some seriously wordy lyrics, but the melody will get stuck in your head for days, and the band plays with a lot of energy... Somehow, it all totally works. "You and I and the flame make three". This song really exemplifies the woodsy, pagan flavor of the album. There's nothing here to stop you from really being drawn into their world.



"Creatures", the next track, contrasts this by beginning with a funky, almost electronic groove and fuzzed out bass line. The rhythm stays consistent as the song makes its way through some chilled out rhodes textures, and a complex, labyrinthine acoustic riff carrying emotions just as complex. It's hard to describe, but it reminds me of the moment at the end of a fun, eventful day where the energy runs out and a little bit of doubt and melancholy begins to creep in with the weariness. It's the highlight of the album for me.



There's definitely some other quality stuff on the album, ranging from good to great. "Everyone's Guilty" sounds just like 70's prog / hard rock, really. It's a great opener. "MBF" is the feedback laden, Sonic Youth inspired number, with an improvisatory feel, noisy loops and gritty, heavy distortion. It fails to be truly memorable, but it's enjoyable. "Gravelly Mountains of the Moon" starts out almost like a jazz ballad, full of comforting muted horns and piano chords. The song proceeds to become another noisy jam with group vocals. "They Will Appear" has a crushing, stop-start finale that will have you singing along whether or not you know the words.



The band does have quite the preference for vintage sounds, and in the end, the album's most glaring flaw turns out to be its commitment to making you believe it's still the 70's, as well as its penchant for repeating supposedly anthemic phrases that are actually quite uninspired and dull, lyrically. For example, "things that are still sometimes appear to move", from "The Alps / Their Orange Evergreen", or the 'finale' of the album, "Sun Will Shine" and the following epilogue, "Last Year", during which the band resorts to using a dull, overused major chord progression on the piano and chants "the sun will shine, and I won't hide" in pretty uninteresting harmony. It feels like such parts exist only as an attempt at recreating the atmosphere of classic 60's and 70's music, but without the inspiration to pull it off.



In conclusion, this is a great up and coming band and their material is consistently interesting. Their songwriting is a bit hit and miss, but I admire their adventurousness. "River" and "Creatures" are truly awesome, and I'm definitely going to check out their first 3 records. Recommended. 4 stars."