music In the world of indie and experimental music, bands of unclassifiable weirdness end up on lo-fi legend Michael Gira’s tiny imprint, Young God Records. And Akron/Family is unclassifiably weird.
The evening at Satellite Ballroom started with Richmond transplants The Great White Jenkins, who sound something like Harvest-era Neil Young filtered through a more melodic Jandek. Akron/Family—fronted by a guy who, it’s worth noting, looks remarkably like a young Martin Mull—continued the night’s harmonic, lo-fi aesthetic once they took the stage, kicking off their set with “Love and Space,” a sing-along that devolved into pure noise. This was the formula for pretty much every song for the remainder of the show, and therein laid the problem.
When the band’s digressions into experimental wankiness worked, they really worked—the band invited the Jenkins’ guest saxophonist on stage for “Raising the Sparks,” and an excellent song became an incredible, free-jazz spiritual. But usually, they resulted in meandering noise. Try as the indie kids might to find a beat to bob their heads to, Akron/Family’s loud and peculiar songs didn’t make for a fun show, which was disappointing given the peeks of greatness among the dissonance. Still, “Raising the Sparks,” man. Wow.
