PRESS

Akron/family : Akron/family

Jun 21, 2005

Pennyblackmusic | by Andrew Carver

an interesting blend of folk music, weirdness and aural freakishness

The New York-based band Akron/Family whips up an interesting blend of folk music, weirdness and aural freakishness on its self-titled debut. Opener 'Before and Again' sets the trend with an overall pastoral sound where computerized bleeps collide with an acoustic guitar and what sounds like rain dripping in a pan. Not surprising, when various members of the band are credited with “bric-a-brac”, “fruity computer twiddling” and “orchestral computer sentiments” – a.k.a. cellos in a can – in addition to the more traditional guitars, piano and melodica. The band’s strength lies in its genial contemplation of the final drawn-out day of a foreign vacation, the physical sensation of love and the longing caused by its unrequited form in songs like 'Italy'”, 'I’ll Be on the Water' (water and love are recurring themes in A/F songs) and 'Afford'. Do the band’s songs need the oceanic breaths, creaking telegraphs or violent rushes of digital scree that dot tracks like 'Part of Corey' or 'Suchness'? Probably not, but with its peculiar flourishes the band can at least hope to attract fans of groups like Grandaddy, Flaming Lips and fellow New Yorkers Animal Collective or Italian psychedelic band Jennifer Gentle to their interesting debut, while its solid musical core should grab folks fans.