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Elly Roberts reviews
Young God Records
- October 2007
- Rating: 6/10
Pennsylvanias Brooklyn-based bearded troupe The Akron/Family is something of an enigma, even by psych-folk (freak folk) standards.
Their highly experimental approach, is, an acquired taste. Much of their workhas elements of incendiary cacophonous blasts highlighted on Of All TheseThings and Lake Song, though the latter has some fine Latino guitarand thunderous drum work.This quartet are going into musical directions with a truly freewheeling spirit,so youd better hold on because its a white knuckle ride, for most part.
Recorded over two weeks somewhere in the New Jersey woods, this boho-bunch ofweirdos were fearlesss in their determination to astound us, on all levels. Itopens deceptively with a Beatles-like simplicity a la All You Need Is Love,without all the latters pomp, and is reprised at the end, book-ending a fascinating,if occasionally, difficult platter to digest.
Further in, theres Crickets (yes theyre buzzing in the background) ona wonderful countryfied beauty, bringing back shades of the Ozark Mountain Devilsfrom the 1970s. Its sweet stuff that juxtaposes marvelously with theirno-limits sonic excusrions. Hippydom returns majestically on the tribalgathering of Ed Is Porta. Not even psych-God Devendra Banhart would gothere.
High spirited chants precursor the acoustic romp, similar to Zed Zeppelin crowd pleaser Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (Led Zep 3) that turns into a scintilatingwestern hoe-down before it morphs into a beat-vocal spacey end. Phonomenasgentle start changes quickly into edgey and sharp chords, back to sweet harmoniesand back again to the chords and Jack White styled guitar solos. The middlesection of Theres So Many Colors is superb because of the (strangely)inhibited solos.
The albums weirdest tracks are Ponys O.G., many La La Las and spaceysounds, and fun-filled and sonically-twisted Ive Got Some Friends.
Love Is Simple wont UK chart, but still worth a check.
Weblinks:akronfamily.com /myspace.com/akak
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Love, Love, Love (everyone)
2. Ed Is Portal
3. Dont Be Afarid, Youre Already Dead
4. Ive Got Some Friends
5. Lake Song / New Ceremonial Music For Moms
6. Theres So Many Colors
7. Crickets
8. Phenomena
9. Ponys O.G.
10. Of All The Things
11. Love, Love, Love 2 (reprise)
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.