Akron/Family

Akron/Family started out playing strange folk that sounded somehow both anxious and mesmerizing. The group found an early fan in Michael Gira, who released Akron/Family’s first four albums on his Young God label. The band’s terrific 2007 album, Love Is Simple, recorded with longtime Ween producer Andrew Weiss, was devoted to cyclical jams that wander through hooks and digressive points in between. Akron/Family’s latest album, S/T II: The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of Shinju TNT, journeys through the trivial wonders of life (tropical vacations, giving change to the homeless) as much as the assortment of genres that fascinate them. They may never be loyal to a certain one, but that’s only cause for alarm if Akron/Family stops bewildering its most understanding fans.

Updated 04/12/2012