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Akron/Family | Review
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www.outsideleft.comEach subsequent record finds the scope of the group more vast...from a larger article called TRANCE ROCK SAVED MY LIFE: Kraftwerk's brand of man - machine - music was always a little too tepid for me, where as this stuff has a pleasing mechanical ardor to it. In as much as any outside force can save a person, trance rock has always been the sturdy railing on my rocky mental ship, and given its resurgence everywhere lately, I imagine I am not the only seasick sailor hanging over it to christen the fishes with all else that proved indigestible. Here are a couple records whose skyhooks extend from my iPod to the grinning Katamari Damacy-style Buddha prince chuckling on his Technicolor cloud: Akron/Family Meek Warrior (Young God) This Brooklyn-based cadre serves as Motivators to me; the fire dance whoop and holler they inject into their play-it-forever psyche rock. They are what would have happened if the Magic Band had staged a mutiny over Captain Beefheart and pointed the Bounty to the sun. Each subsequent record finds the scope of the group more vast, but where this kills most projects, it only serves to make them stronger. The nine minutes of "Blessing Force" is......
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Akron/Family | Review
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www.pitchforkmedia.com | Stuart Bermana faultless melding of complementary idealsSeptember 25, 2006 Meek Warrior[Young God; 2006] For all the contemporary rock bands who advertize their cult-like credentials (Polyphonic Spree, Danielson), Akron/Family come closest to forging a genuine communion between their church and your state. And they do it without even acting like a cult: no fancy white robes or matching uniforms to delineate between the pulpit and the pews, no religious rhetoric to impose their ideology. Heck, Akron/Family don't even need to stand up-- their seated performances giving new meaning to the phrase "rocking chair". Onstage, the Brooklyn quartet resembles a campfire folk circle where the players suddenly go up in flames, their sets marked by a series of light-switch flips between harmony and anarchy. But however peculiar the sight of four shirtless guys with mouths agape may be, the Akrons, like the best preachers, inspire their congregations to lose all sense of inhibition and surrender to the moment. It's just that instead of interpreting the bible, the Akrons simply do what we all do when trying to make sense of the unexplainable: scream real loud. Clearly, strange powers are at work here, and, on album 2.5--following 2005's self-titled debut and......
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Akron/Family | Review
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Prefix.com | Justin Sheppard There simply aren't any other bands out there right now that can match the band Meek Warrior Release Date: 2006-09-26Label: Young God Color me a shade disappointed. It's my own fault, really. After acquainting myself with the band's eponymous debut and split LP with Michael Gira last year, I pegged Akron/Family as the band to watch for those who like their folk a little freaky. Of course, talking yourself into believing that an album's a classic before you've heard a single note is just about the dumbest thing you can do as a critic. But I'm not ready to give up on these guys just yet. Even if Meek Warrior doesn't push Akron/Family to the front of the class, it shows the band still has all the right tools to make it there one day. You have to admire the moxie it takes to come out of the corner throwing haymakers, and that's exactly what this four-piece does with "Blessing Force." The band members throw their best Friedberger change-up, reinventing the song at will. Driving percussion and frenzied guitars make way for a bizarro sing-in tongues-along session, which transitions to loosey-goosey jam-band antics, which -- well, you get the......
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AKRON/FAMILY | Review
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Arthur magazine They were awesome, in complete uni-mind synchSeptember 06C & D: Two guys reason together about some new records. (from Arthur 24/Oct. 2006)Note: C & D is a dialogue presented as a series of record reviews, and intended to be read straight through. AKRON/FAMILY"Meek Warrior"(Young God)C: [Looking at publicity photo of band] I'm surprised these guys haven't featured in Arthur yet. They appear to meet many if not all of this magazine's apparent requirements for coverage.D: What, they have beards?C: Yes. I think the magazine is pretty clearly a beards-only policy. It's pretty clearly where the underground beard was re-born. Or should I say, re-grown. Remember Alan Moore on the cover of Arthur No. 4?D: That was a beard to be reckoned with. No razors and shaving cream in the Moore household!C: Total "Lord of the Beards". On the other hand, Alan's finger armor stylings haven't caught on yet.D: I will keep an eye out for the beard as we check out these records today. I assume there will be ladies, too?C: Yes, of course.D: Who presumably are not of the bearded variety.C: One never knows, does one? [arches eyebrow meaningfully] Anyways, Akron/Family not only have some beardage, they have four-part harmonies,......
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Lisa Germano | Review
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Knoxville Voice | Ryan Collinsit's always been her solo releases that have allowed Germano's talents as a singer/multi-instrumentalist to come forth and shine08/10/06 - ISSUE 9In the Maybe WorldYoung GodLisa Germano is the undisputed queen of sadcore. For more than 20 years, she's made an extensive and impressive career with her clandestine vision of troubled emotions, lurid storytelling, and isolation. As a much sought-after session player, she's been contracted from a veritable who's who of rock 'n' roll giants. But it's always been her solo releases that have allowed Germano's talents as a singer/multi-instrumentalist to come forth and shine. Her music is sad, beautiful, and intimate‹odes to abuse, neglect, addiction, and feline companions have all factored into Germano's hushed and yearning world. Hurtful sentiments and reflections rule the landscape of her subconscious. In the Maybe World is a continuation of her immersion into the ecstasy of failure and the hopes and dreams of someone whose voice is lost amid a sea of undesirables. As with previous releases, In the Maybe World carefully outlines despair as a sense of empowerment suppressed by apathy, a bittersweet compulsion that demands many returns. ...