Akron/Family Set Em Wild Set Em Free

Akron/Family are a group of musical explorers unhindered by genre and stereotype. This trio does things with instrumentation that bands two or three times the size have difficulty doing. Their latest album Set 'em Wild Set 'em Freeis a diverse record that has more music crammed into it's thirteen songs then the average band has in their entire discography.

If you can imagine a band like Modest Mouse or Stereolab embracing jazz, world music, rock and roll, indie, metal, electronics and your kitchen sink then you can start to understand where Akron/Family are coming from. This band takes everything they know and throws it into a gumbo, mixes it up and then randomly pulls from the pot to create songs that take your mind and ears on an epic journey. Set 'em Wild Set 'em Freeis a muso's dream come true but it's also a record that hasn't forgotten to be melodic. Somehow, someway Akron/Family keep a smart pop sensibility about them throughout each of the songs making them even more impressive and listenable.

Set 'em Wild Set 'em Freehas approximately 993,334 tempo changes, riff redirections and stops/starts that jerk you around like a blender. It's amazing how Akron/Family is able to generate so much complicated music without the bat of an eyelash and still find room to fit in a melody or a hook. They do somehow and they do a great job of it. From the horns that glisten on "River," to the noisy beat exploration of "Creatures," the songs on Set 'em Wild Set 'em Free are complex, textured, layered and filled with sounds your mind might not be able to perceive. And yet amongst all that is something you're ears can latch on to and remember and that's what makes this record brilliant.

This is truly one of the most diverse and challenging records that you will hear and that's what makes it an exciting listen. Akron/Family have embraced their love of music and made a record that gushes with this affection. Set 'em Wild Set 'em Free has it all and it prides itself in being more than just a rock and roll, folk, jazz whatever record. Set 'em Wild Set 'em Free is what all music should sound like, free of genre and free to roam wherever it wants to. I've heard the future and it's name is Akron/Family.