The Musicgoer: Akron/Family's Set ’Em Wild, Set ’Em Free

AKRON/FAMILY
Set ’Em Wild, Set ’Em Free
(Dead Oceans)
**** (out of 5)

“Akron/Family is neither from Akron nor a family: discuss.” Well, I’ll give it a shot — while it’s true that the members of this American freak-folk band live in New York and Pennsylvania, their new album Set ’Em Wild, Set ’Em Free sounds very much like the work of a family unit. But not some well-drilled showbiz family like the Jonases, the Jacksons, or the Osmonds; this album sounds like it emerged from some backwoods encampment of true believers, a commune where everyone works the land, eats their meals together, and calls each other “brother” and “sister” even if they’re not related by blood. And where they have access to excellent recording equipment.

As the title suggests, this is an unruly album, with homespun gospel harmonies frequently giving way to angular noise-rock. Occasionally, that approach results in patience-testers like the rambling “Gravelly Mountains of the Moon,” but more often you get songs like “River” or “Many Ghosts,” spiky hymns to the beautiful American landscape and the lost souls roaming through it. And “Last Year” — whose sole lyrics, repeated over and over are “Last year was a hard year for such a long time / This year’s gonna be ours” — is the most moving album-ender of 2009.