Akron/Family

I can't believe I've been doing this blog for three months and have yet to mention one of the more promising bands to come along in ages. Akron/Family released two of the most innovative and strong albums of last year, their folkier self-titled album and a more rocking split with Michael Gira, founder of freak-folk super-label Young God Records. News came last month that they are prepping a "mini-album" for release this September, which may include some recording they did with members of Broken Social Scene.

These guys get grouped in with that whole "freak-folk" thing, but that really just begins to describe what these guys are doing. Psychedelia, prog-rock, gentle folk, classic rock, ambient jamming and stellar Beach Boys-esque harmonies can all be found in the band's limited but impressive body of work. What sets them apart from other such bands that are all over the map is that these guys not only attempt to jump from genre to genre, but they pull off each experiment with a suprising amount of success. Their live shows careen from absolute brilliance to an utter train wreck and back again. Without a doubt, this is a band to keep an eye on. If this band keeps growing from here, they could blow a lot minds in the next year or so.

In all seriousness, the studio version of "Raising The Sparks" is actually kind of tame compared to a live setting.

Akron/Family- Raising The Sparks

Akron/Family- Running, Returning

Akron/Family- Italy