Set Em Wild, Set Em Free

Akron/Family

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 5, 2009)
• Original Release Date: May 5, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: DEAD OCEANS
• ASIN: B001W3P5EU
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,442 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Everyone is Guilty

2. River

3. Creatures

4. The Alps & Their Orange Evergreen

5. Set 'Em Free, Pt. 1

6. Gravelly Mountains of the Moon

7. Many Ghosts

8. MBF

9. They Will Appear

10. Sun Will Shine (Warmth of the Sunship Version)

11. Last Year

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Their musical vocabulary runs deep - it's not just Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, and The Grateful Dead that inform this record; the band feels at home, confident, and self-assured. With limited outside assistance, the trio has made a focused, powerful, and unified work. This is the new psychedelic rock.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "You and I and the flame make three", August 23, 2009

By	The Pitiful Anonymous "Mazaro" (the Acres of Skin) - See all my reviews

Akron/Family are an 'experimental rock band', also occasionally lumped in with the 'freak folk' stylings of The Angels of Light, or the more psychedelic Animal Collective. They have an extremely wide range of influences in their work, and yet they sound like a cohesive band with their own identity. You can hear the Led Zeppelin, the Sonic Youth, the Jethro Tull, as well the more modern sounds of Modest Mouse and The Arcade Fire. They're obviously listened to loads of obscure psychedelia and probably electronic music, too. The vocals range from the raw, out of tune modern indie style to a smooth tenor to Radiohead-esque breathless crooning. And if there was any question about it, they're definitely a bunch of hippies, as the tie dyed flag on the cover would suggest.

For the most part, they have near perfect control of all these different sounds, and their music paints subtle and colorful pictures. The band has a lot of passion and feeling in what they do. Their experiments definitely do not all find equal success, yet "Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free", their 4th album (and my first experience with the band), is an incredibly listenable album. After a little while, the listener knows each track will likely be distinct and stylistically different from the rest, even if they aren't all as compelling as "River" or "Creatures", the two best songs on the album, by far.

"River" is some kind of mad, over-intellectualized campfire singalong, complete with some seriously wordy lyrics, but the melody will get stuck in your head for days, and the band plays with a lot of energy... Somehow, it all totally works. "You and I and the flame make three". This song really exemplifies the woodsy, pagan flavor of the album. There's nothing here to stop you from really being drawn into their world.

"Creatures", the next track, contrasts this by beginning with a funky, almost electronic groove and fuzzed out bass line. The rhythm stays consistent as the song makes its way through some chilled out rhodes textures, and a complex, labyrinthine acoustic riff carrying emotions just as complex. It's hard to describe, but it reminds me of the moment at the end of a fun, eventful day where the energy runs out and a little bit of doubt and melancholy begins to creep in with the weariness. It's the highlight of the album for me.

There's definitely some other quality stuff on the album, ranging from good to great. "Everyone's Guilty" sounds just like 70's prog / hard rock, really. It's a great opener. "MBF" is the feedback laden, Sonic Youth inspired number, with an improvisatory feel, noisy loops and gritty, heavy distortion. It fails to be truly memorable, but it's enjoyable. "Gravelly Mountains of the Moon" starts out almost like a jazz ballad, full of comforting muted horns and piano chords. The song proceeds to become another noisy jam with group vocals. "They Will Appear" has a crushing, stop-start finale that will have you singing along whether or not you know the words.

The band does have quite the preference for vintage sounds, and in the end, the album's most glaring flaw turns out to be its commitment to making you believe it's still the 70's, as well as its penchant for repeating supposedly anthemic phrases that are actually quite uninspired and dull, lyrically. For example, "things that are still sometimes appear to move", from "The Alps / Their Orange Evergreen", or the 'finale' of the album, "Sun Will Shine" and the following epilogue, "Last Year", during which the band resorts to using a dull, overused major chord progression on the piano and chants "the sun will shine, and I won't hide" in pretty uninteresting harmony. It feels like such parts exist only as an attempt at recreating the atmosphere of classic 60's and 70's music, but without the inspiration to pull it off.

In conclusion, this is a great up and coming band and their material is consistently interesting. Their songwriting is a bit hit and miss, but I admire their adventurousness. "River" and "Creatures" are truly awesome, and I'm definitely going to check out their first 3 records. Recommended. 4 stars.

5.0 out of 5 stars Haven't found a group I like this much in years, September 20, 2009

By	suncentaur (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

These guys are great. I first heard them just a few weeks ago on KCRW's morning becomes eclectic, and I immediately fell in love with their music and their hippie spirit. The songs are so alive and have such a spontaneous spirit, though they are expertly crafted. This was the first album of Akron/family I bought. I just ordered "love is simple" as well. I think I'll eventually end up with their whole collection, and can't wait to see them live. River is the most amazingly heart stopping love song I think I've heard in a long time. The lyrics on this CD are very poetic and the music is guaranteed to take you for a ride through the dreamiest places of your soul. Just when you're being soothed into a mystical lullaby, you'll be rushed awake by a tide of stirring guitars and their own special brand of jam which I can't quite find words for. Buy this CD and you'll find yourself dropping life's dull realities like clothes at the shore of a psychedelic swimming hole. Once in you won't want to get out.

4.0 out of 5 stars an unexpected turn for 'the family'...., September 6, 2009

By	S. Townsend "TOWNSEND" (Indiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed Akron/Family's tenure on Young God Records (but then, I am a fan of Michael Gira) and "Love is Simple", in some ways, was their crowning achievement on the label (although the s/t debut, along with their live act, is why I became a fan).
I figured that, after "Love is Simple", they would either take an acoustic/calm turn or a heavily experimental path...In some ways, they do both on "Set 'em wild...", but not in the way you'd think. With the departure of Ryan, they have both lost something
and gained something--but I can't put my finger on what. That is both my problem with the release as well as what is fresh and intriguing. In multiple listens, a few tracks really stand out ("many ghosts", "everyone is guilty", "gravelly mountains..")
and the the rest of the album remains in limbo. Perhaps this is because I so enjoyed "Love is Simple" and wanted them to explore some of those structures more. On the other hand, you can't expect a band this talented and original to stay put. What you end up with, then, is a step into somewhat unfamiliar territory (but a place that contains enough familiar landscapes--i.e. the vocal harmonies, guitar adventurousness
and the somewhat underrated percussion of Dana Jenssen). And once you're there, its not all that bad.