PRESS
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Angels of Light | Review
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Dustedmagazine.com | Emerson DameronThe Angels of Light Sing "Other People"Michael Gira is rock¹s king of catharsis  this, he¹s established. As the main man behind Swans, he journeyed through industrial crunch and pound into a symphonic, Rhys Chatham etherworld, all the while unafraid to wallow in grandiosity that might send Nick Cave back to Bible camp. Four albums in, Angels of Light appears to be Gira¹s new full-time gig. With it, he¹s supplanted his old aggression with an ear for icy neo-folk beauty and clinical detachment befitting a Burroughs protag. Of course, until lately, his despairing lyrics still dealt with broken lives, decaying flesh as a metaphor for various things, etc. On Other People, his focus shifts to hope, an altogether more slippery subject than all the world¹s hungover depression, however wrenching. The new disc¹s warmest ballads (³My Sister Said² and ³On the Mountain²) tender broad reassurance; its most eccentric experiments (³Simon Is Stronger Than Us² and ³My Friend Thor²) toast specific pals. MG remains more coroner than crooner (before he thanks Thor for saving his life, he reminds him that his ³dogs smell like dead things²), but hearing him wax tender sans acheŠit¹s, at the least, unusual. Of......
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AKRON/FAMILY | Review
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CMJ | from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noiseFolky weirdos Akron/Family emerged from rural hideaways in New York, California and Pennsylvania, finding magic in the New York City music scene. They constructed a quasi-religious sonic worldview called "AK," they grew huge beards, and they charmed producer and Swans/Angels Of Light maverick Michael Gira, resulting in their ambitious selftitled debut. Like Animal Collective, Akron/Family veer naturally from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noise, but incorporate build-and-release dynamics similar to Godspeed or Sigur Rós. And like labelmate Devendra Banhart, singer Ryan Vanderhoof's androgynous vocals instill the tracks with stirring vulnerability. The band, however, is ambidextrous and inventive—bassist Miles Seaton plays a squeaking chair in "Italy" and drummer Dana Janssen is credited with playing "bric-a-brac." "Before and Again"'s hummed melody and acoustic guitar turn into a percussive affair thanks to strings and cellular pho!ne bleeps while "Running, Returning" is a chest-thumping event (A/F literally beat their chests for the rhythm), replete with soaring, Thom Yorke–ish vocals and a spectral banjo/bass breakdown. Though Akron/Family diffuses slightly in its latter songs, the unexpected progressions and audacious confidence carry this debut. - BRAD ANGLE...
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AKRON/FAMILY | Review
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CMJ | from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noiseFolky weirdos Akron/Family emerged from rural hideaways in New York, California and Pennsylvania, finding magic in the New York City music scene. They constructed a quasi-religious sonic worldview called "AK," they grew huge beards, and they charmed producer and Swans/Angels Of Light maverick Michael Gira, resulting in their ambitious selftitled debut. Like Animal Collective, Akron/Family veer naturally from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noise, but incorporate build-and-release dynamics similar to Godspeed or Sigur Rós. And like labelmate Devendra Banhart, singer Ryan Vanderhoof's androgynous vocals instill the tracks with stirring vulnerability. The band, however, is ambidextrous and inventive—bassist Miles Seaton plays a squeaking chair in "Italy" and drummer Dana Janssen is credited with playing "bric-a-brac." "Before and Again"'s hummed melody and acoustic guitar turn into a percussive affair thanks to strings and cellular pho!ne bleeps while "Running, Returning" is a chest-thumping event (A/F literally beat their chests for the rhythm), replete with soaring, Thom Yorke–ish vocals and a spectral banjo/bass breakdown. Though Akron/Family diffuses slightly in its latter songs, the unexpected progressions and audacious confidence carry this debut. - BRAD ANGLE...
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AKRON/FAMILY | Review
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CMJ | from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noiseFolky weirdos Akron/Family emerged from rural hideaways in New York, California and Pennsylvania, finding magic in the New York City music scene. They constructed a quasi-religious sonic worldview called "AK," they grew huge beards, and they charmed producer and Swans/Angels Of Light maverick Michael Gira, resulting in their ambitious selftitled debut. Like Animal Collective, Akron/Family veer naturally from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noise, but incorporate build-and-release dynamics similar to Godspeed or Sigur Rós. And like labelmate Devendra Banhart, singer Ryan Vanderhoof's androgynous vocals instill the tracks with stirring vulnerability. The band, however, is ambidextrous and inventive—bassist Miles Seaton plays a squeaking chair in "Italy" and drummer Dana Janssen is credited with playing "bric-a-brac." "Before and Again"'s hummed melody and acoustic guitar turn into a percussive affair thanks to strings and cellular pho!ne bleeps while "Running, Returning" is a chest-thumping event (A/F literally beat their chests for the rhythm), replete with soaring, Thom Yorke–ish vocals and a spectral banjo/bass breakdown. Though Akron/Family diffuses slightly in its latter songs, the unexpected progressions and audacious confidence carry this debut. - BRAD ANGLE...
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AKRON/FAMILY | Review
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CMJ | from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noiseFolky weirdos Akron/Family emerged from rural hideaways in New York, California and Pennsylvania, finding magic in the New York City music scene. They constructed a quasi-religious sonic worldview called "AK," they grew huge beards, and they charmed producer and Swans/Angels Of Light maverick Michael Gira, resulting in their ambitious selftitled debut. Like Animal Collective, Akron/Family veer naturally from quasifolk ballads to swirling orchestral movements to sheets of electronic noise, but incorporate build-and-release dynamics similar to Godspeed or Sigur Rós. And like labelmate Devendra Banhart, singer Ryan Vanderhoof's androgynous vocals instill the tracks with stirring vulnerability. The band, however, is ambidextrous and inventive—bassist Miles Seaton plays a squeaking chair in "Italy" and drummer Dana Janssen is credited with playing "bric-a-brac." "Before and Again"'s hummed melody and acoustic guitar turn into a percussive affair thanks to strings and cellular pho!ne bleeps while "Running, Returning" is a chest-thumping event (A/F literally beat their chests for the rhythm), replete with soaring, Thom Yorke–ish vocals and a spectral banjo/bass breakdown. Though Akron/Family diffuses slightly in its latter songs, the unexpected progressions and audacious confidence carry this debut. - BRAD ANGLE...