CD Reviews

Akron/Family

Love Is Simple | Young God

By MIKAEL WOOD | September 24, 2007

3.0 Stars

Already digested the latest from Devendra Banhart and Animal Collective and still hungry for more new freak-folk sounds? Check out the latest from Pennsylvania’s Akron/Family, who despite a lower buzz level might be a more impressive artistic accomplishment. In addition to making two full-lengths, the members of Akron/Family have spent the last few years backing up former Swans mastermind Michael Gira in the Angels of Light, and on Love Is Simple you can hear the knack for textural and instrumental detail they’ve honed playing somebody else’s tunes — “Don’t Be Afraid, You’re Already Dead,” for example, has gorgeous choral harmonies and sweet keyboard twinkles. But though several tracks creep past the seven-minute mark, this isn’t just a free-form jam — there’s some exceptional songwriting here. “Ed Is a Portal” transforms from a stomping space-folk throwdown into a jangly cosmic-country ballad, and the twisty-turny vocal melody in “I’ve Got Some Friends” evokes fond memories of Heavy Vegetable, Pinback guy Rob Crow’s old prog-pop combo. It’s heady stuff.

Topics: CD Reviews , Devendra Banhart, Michael Gira, Animal Collective, More

| More

ARTICLES BY MIKAEL WOOD

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS | FURTHER | July 07, 2010
Astralwerks (2010)

DEVO | SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY | July 01, 2010
Given the theory of de-evolution these Ohio brainiacs began expounding more than 30 years ago, it makes a sad kind of sense that Devo's first album since 1990's Smooth Noodle Maps offers such a charmless, base-level version of the band's synth-addled new wave.

TAIO CRUZ | ROKSTARR | June 24, 2010
When Taio Cruz sings, "I can't live without you," in "Take Me Back," pop-song conventions tell us he's referring to a lover.

THE FUTUREHEADS | THE CHAOS | June 16, 2010
"I wish that I could stop the noise," sings Barry Hyde not long into The Chaos . It sure doesn't seem that way.

BETTYE LAVETTE | INTERPRETATIONS: THE BRITISH ROCK SONGBOOK | June 01, 2010
Bettye LaVette’s previous two albums had titles that required a little digging to unpack.