PRESS
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Mi and L'au | Review
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Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh | Ed MasleyThe female vocals here are gorgeous, just breathy enough to lend this duo's understated chamber-folk an ethereal edge while retaining an earthy emotional kick. But that's all out the window when her boyfriend sings. Or most times anyway. He sounds OK on "A World in Your Belly," a song that effortlessly conjures images of Sigur Ros, but too often his vocals interrupt the carefully constructed mood of the prettier tracks here, from the haunting lead-off cut "They Marry" to the string-fueled meditation "Older." Michael Gira produced and keeps things relatively spare and intimate on most tracks, an approach that only makes it that much more effective when the strings and other instrumental flourishes come in on "A Word in Your Belly" or "Andy."...
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Angels of Light & Akron/Family | Review
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East Bay Express | Mark KeresmanNovember 05 With his new angelic crew, Michael Gira aims for a considerably less harsh, far more melodic approach than his last band Swans, sometimes accompanied on this split LP by Brooklyn's multi-instrumental Akron/Family. Gira still weaves disturbing scenarios, but you get the feeling he's trying to exorcize his demons, rather than lounge with them in hell. A/F's half finds the Brooklyn crew in out-there eclectic mode, adapting and combining styles to suit their twisted whims/songs -- imagine King Crimson, Butthole Surfers, and the Band passing the bong around during an outdoor party. Pretty/scary stuff. (Young God)...
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Akron/Family & Angels of Light | Review
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justaddnoise.com | Nick there’s a delicate balance of contrast and cohesivenessNov 28/05 Akron / Family & Angels of Light Rating: 9.1 This recent offering from Young God Records brings together one of the standout bands to step into the extremely crowded folk spotlight of recent times, Akron/Family, and Young God founder, Michael Gira, in the form of his writing (and vocal) project, Angels of Light, with Akron/Family playing the part of the “angels†this time. Akron/Family section opener, Awake, strolls in with warm, pastoral folk tradition present on much of their self-titled debut earlier this year, only with a more refined sound in place of the lo-fi primitive value. Immediately following, however, is the uproarious, chaotic feedback, thrashing drums, and screaming guitar intro to the raucous anthem, Moment. Confirming suspicions (that were planted on their debut) that these guys were here to rock the folk scene unlike anyone else out there. The album highlight comes along in the form of eight minute mid-point of the A/F section, Future Myth, rambling confidently through a couple of minutes of rolling percussion, floating chords and fluttering synths before the first word is muttered. The following six minutes are a combination of Modest Mouse-esque......
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Mi and L'au | Review
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Alternative Ulster | Andrew WilliamsonThe music is sparse and delicate November 05 Mi is a female Finnish former model. L'au is a French soundtrack producer. Mi and L'au met in Paris, fell head over heels in love, and moved to the woods in Finland to live happily ever after making very slow, quiet records. Think Bjork, Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Antony and the Johnsons and you're almost there. The music is sparse and delicate and slightly unsettling - voice, acoustic guitars and other orchestrations. It's not really the weird folk stuff that's in vogue right at the minute, but perhaps a distant cousin of it. If you imagine what music made in the Finnish woods would sound like, then it probably sounds like Mi and L'au. There are no fast songs, no hooks, no singles you must burn, but that's not the point. Together they are enchanting, as beguling as the Greek sirens Odysseus tried to resist. Ones to watch if you like your Scandanavian folk wispy and melancholic....
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Angels of Light/AkronFamily | Review
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Alternative Ulster | James McDonaldcollaborative songs have more of an alt-country feel to themNovember 05 Angels of Light is the solo nom-de-rock of Michael Gira. The man responsible for the corrosive bleakness of New York's No-Wave pioneers Swans. Akron/Family is a Brooklyn-based band signed to his label Young God Records. This album consists of 7 AF songs produced by Gira and 5 more performed by Gira with AF as his backing band. Anyone worried about spending time in the company of a man who wrote a song called "Public Castration Is A Good Idea" can relax, this is all pretty pleasant stuff. AF play inventively ramshackle folk; infused psychedelic rock with the occasional blast of white noise and strong emphasis on lush vocal harmonies. Their contribution should please the ear of anyone who holds "The Soft Bulletin", "Wowee Zowee" or even "Trout Mask Replica" close to their hearts. Highlights include the bluegrass rave up "Raising The Sparks" and the floaty haze of "Future Myth". The collaborative songs have more of an alt-country feel to them, acoustic guitars, slide, piano and Gira's booming barritione dominating. There's a cover of Bob Dylan's "I Pity The Poor Immigrant" and a drums and voice......