As one of the many bands that took flight under last year's "freak folk" explosion, Akron/Family made a name for themselves with transcendental meanderings reminiscent of the works of Devendra Banhart.
The band's latest work, "Meek Warrior," squirms away from the style of their 2005 self-titled album, blanketing listeners in frequent harmonized choruses that quickly transition to guitar jams and free jazz transcendentalism.
With "Meek Warrior," Akron/Family abandons any electronic influence that they once had, instead embracing a rougher, less refined musical reality. Their new album contains some of the experimental elements of Kraut-rock, even bearing resemblance to Can.
It seems, however, that Akron/Family tried flying too close to the sun, because this album lost the glowing wings of magic that beat so freely in their last full-length. This is conceivable, given the fact that this is their third release in 18 months, succeeding their incredible self-titled debut, and an equally well done split EP with Angels of Light. Perhaps "Meek Warrior" is just the bastard Hindu-convert love child of Reichean sine wave destructionism and '70s folk, forming a frequency of sonic adventurism that only Kali, the Hindu mother goddess, could love. Some songs from this folk-nouveau band possess a sense of disconnectedness that, while it reveals the different interests and tastes of the band members, does not do so cohesively; this leaves Akron/Family playing a role that can most accurately be described as a musical mother-in-law, abruptly interrupting one musical style with another.
Lyrics have also taken a turn for the worse on this album. However, it could be said that what they may have lost in complexity, they make up for in sincerity. The four-part harmonies in many songs elicit goosebumps and embody the camaraderie that one could imagine taking place on a commune.
Space is a repeating motif in "Meek Warrior," hearkening back to Akron/Family's evident lust for transcendentalism. The album begins with a progressive pilgrimage towards enlightenment, nine minutes and 29 seconds of chaotic intermingling of all the styles displayed in their album.
Parts of it work, but somehow, it is not able to hold together as a solid piece. It comes across as though each member paid homage to a different kind of music but stayed in the same band, forcing all these divergences into one, single, clashing song. Their second song, "Gone Beyond," contains no more than one simple line of lyrics: "Gone, gone, gone beyond/ Gone completely beyond."
Is this an attempt at attaining nirvana, reaching a higher state of being through simplicity and harmonious chanting? Or is it just another lazy attempt to reach hipster status through cheap minimalism? This is for the listener to decide.
While in their live shows Akron/Family strikes up a rapport with the crowd - seated, shirtless, accessible and human - this is not the case with their album. Rather, they heave dogmatic rhythms and vocal mantras into the listener.
If Akron/Family's new release is an offering up to the gods, it is probably not quite what the divine was searching for. Before one truly understands the nature of reality, they must have a firm grip on the reasoning process that governs the nature of experience, and this is where Akron/Family's own psychedelic workout falls short.
