Here’s a fun game: listen to Akron/Family’s sixth album Sub Verses and then come up with a genre description. Country digi-psych? Heartland electro-prog? Sludge-gospel? At a pinch, you might describe it as The Band-style Americana and bad-trippin’ psych, fused with the sensibilities of Williamsburg indie. Believe it or not, the album that results from this seemingly terrible idea is actually great, albeit in small doses. Sub Verses benefits from Akron/Family’s obvious knowledge of the traditions that they subvert and mash together – this is not mere genre tourism.
Way Up sounds – no kidding – like Feels-era Animal Collective exploring a classic rock tangent. Like much of the material here, it benefits from loose, naturalistic interweaving vocals of Dana Janssen, Seth Olinsky and Miles Seaton. Unlike many multi-vocalist bands, Akron/Family truly bat three deep, and make full use of this strength. Unfortunately, these restless harmonies, along with the drum blasts, dense polyrhythms, the sequencers and the whiplash dynamic changes that characterise the album, conspire to make Sub Verses as tiring as it is initially thrilling.
It’s a relief when the pastoral Until The Morning and the weird, dissonant Scott Walker knock-off Sometimes come along to interrupt the barrage, but these songs are such a drastic change of pace that they may as well be from a different album altogether.If you hadn’t guessed, though, things like cohesion and restraint are not much of a priority for Akron/Family. It’s a shame, because it ensures that, regardless of several excellent moments, Sub Verses well and truly drags by the end. The good moments are very good, the likes of Samurai and No-Room It’s a shame, but from such an extroverted band, it’s hardly a surprise.
BY EDWARD SHARP-PAUL
Best Track: No-Room
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Feels ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, Yellow House GRIZZLY BEAR
In A Word: Cosmic
