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| Akron/Family are raging with ideas, with songs bulging to the point that if just one more idea was squeezed in, the screws holding the songs together would break and the tracks would fall apart. It would be a chaotic mess of gargantuan proportions. That’s not to say it isn’t a mess already, because at times it is, but it’s a controlled mess. |
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Let me give you an example. I’m going to describe to you, in as much detail as is possible, the opening track from ‘Meek Warrior’.
It all kicks off with a long, slow-building intro of drums and bongos. Then a guitar lick joins in the crescendo until everything but the drumming cuts out. Some murmuring and handclapping appear rise through the drums, until the drums themselves stop and the murmuring establishes itself as group of people chanting the song title, 'Blessing Force'. The guitar kicks back in with the vocal melody, and then moves on into another long build up, which feels like you’re listening to a snake charmer doing his work. This is then totally sideswiped by a Lightning Bolt-esque barricade of noise and distortion.
A guitar solo of sorts follows, eventually sounding like something from an early Led Zeppelin record. This cuts out, and the bass and drums are joined by a brass instrument that sounds like air being squeezed from a balloon. It's a horrible noise -- no rhythm, no melody and totally disorientated. If you use your imagination, you can hear thunder in the background. And elephants. This continues with varying degrees of prominence and volume until the song abruptly ends after nine and a half minutes of carnage.
The next track, ‘Gone Beyond’ couldn’t be any different. It’s a three-minute folk song with delicate guitar work and beautifully soft vocals. The only similarity is the chanting of the songs title in the background.
‘Meek Warrior’, though, isn’t a post-rock masterpiece. It can be a little self-indulgent -- see, for example, the last five minutes of ‘The Rider (Dolphin Song)’, which sounds like (and almost definitely was) nothing more than a jam in the recording studio. Furthermore, the use of space as a concept is already tired and overdone, and Akron/Family struggle to bring anything new to the table.
So although this is a grandiose record full of vast soundscapes and amazing ideas, it does end up sounding a little mystifying. The diversity of sound is likely to alienate some fans and confuse others. Are Akron/Family a post-rock band? Are Akron/Family a folk band? It’s impossible to tell. What I do know, though, is that the potential is there for Akron/Family to create a truly exceptional record -- they just need to find the right balance. |
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| James Bunce - 7/10 |
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Name:
Lyle
| Date:
09/03/07 | Reply
Good review. The whole point is : Akron/family are neither postrock or folk. They're both. That's what make them special ! And great live !
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Name:
James
| Date:
09/03/07 | Reply
Cheers Lyle! It's a good album, i really like the band, there's just a feeling that there's a bit more they can acheive.
This is the only album I've heard though, is it better than their other stuff?
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Name:
Lyle
| Date:
09/03/07 | Reply
First album is more folk and maybe a bit better. At gigs they are selling early recordins which are really strange...
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