Akron/Family & Angels of Light - Split LP (Young God)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
So, what is it exactly we're dealing with here? Maybe setting the scene will help us understand the perplexing music with a little more success. Michael Gira is a man (at this point, you should just about be still following us). He runs Young God records, on which Akron/Family release their music. Michael Gira really, really loves Akron/Family. He wanted to release an album on which they did half the music and he, such is his admiration, did the other, under his Angels of Light guise. He also wanted a backing band. So who better to ask than your favourite rock and roll group ever? Exactly - so Akron/Family become Angels of Light for part two of this split LP. It's a split record, on which Akron/Family play all the music, whilst only being credited for the first half (which they wrote), their label boss using them as his band for the other half, which is by Angels of Light. Got that?
Us neither. And nor does it help explain anything about this record - 'tis thoroughly bloody strange, and a ruddy joy, no word of a lie. Forget trying to figure out who plays what, just be glad they played it, and played it this loud (no matter how far to the left you've got your volume dial, this is in essence a rather raucous record). Akron/Family (who annoyingly insist on using that slash in their name at all times), instead of showcasing the more Merzbow-ian noise obsessed tendencies they slipped into during their live set, here make more use of just hitting everything very fast and shouting very loud to make their noises (have your brain frazzled by the opening sixty seconds of 'Moment', why don't you). And they do that a lot. But they allow room for some utterly gorgeous melodic passages too, ones of the kind which continue mantra-like for so long that eventually one cannot picture a life that isn't sound-tracked by their sonic playfulness. Of these, 'Future Myth' is the best, it's mammoth, euphoric structure so sturdy that no amount of turning it down on the record player, nor any other kind of evil, could do it any real damage. Theirs is a truly excellent first half of a record.
On the second, they're asked to calm things down. For the music they make when left to their own devices is far from anything you'd desire from a backing band. Gira, as Angels of Light, has them skilfully limiting themselves to cute country and western impressions like a cover of Dylan's 'I Pity The Poor Immigrant' or harmonising like crazy barbers on 'One For Hope', only really letting them make the din you know they're aching to create on the worryingly tense 'The Provider'. He gets them to do remarkable things within his boundaries, but when put alongside the Akron/Family's own limitless compositions they can't help but sound a little forced.
Boy, does it make you want another Akron/Family record. But despite Angels of Light's albeit worthy compositions not quite living up to the standard set by the first half of the LP, knowing of Gira's own admiration for the group, you shouldn't feel so bad about siding so strongly with only one of this split's creators. Quite probably, that was exactly the point.
Artists in this article: Akron/Family
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