Akron/Family - Meek Warrior (Young God)
4/5
By: Charlie Potter
Michael Gira (he of Swans and his own Angels of Light) here brings us another brilliant recording from his 'Young God' label, via one of his own favourite bands, the Akron/Family. To mention highlights on this album is to undermine how very cohesive this is as a whole record - there's a sound that they come back to often in the form of rhythmic acoustic guitar with neatly played out percussive beats, but never a style - they go further than just building the tension and releasing it, as the way things are arranged will often change along with the tempo and structuring styles, at time being very traditional with verses and choruses and at other points just happy being a wandering, jovial jam. This isn't to mention the times when they completely move away from the acoustic niceties and present you with various sonic events, like strange fruits from a wise old tree.
'Meek Warrior' begins with a fast, layered percussive build up, and then breaks down into a crazy jibber jabber by a chorus of people with a driving beat behind it, then crumbling down again into a rhythmic chant of the words 'the blessing force, a whoa-a-whoa-a-whoaoaoh'... yeah, that's right - there's some real, all out, crazy hippy weirdness on this recording, but it's so clear from the outset that you would be very foolish to question its presence for a second. The conviction of their words is so great that it genuinely makes you wanna get out of that bed and go and get that job, whilst singing to yourself 'yeah, love and space...'
Although, that said, they've made one terrible mistake on this album - in one song they state that 'love is space', but then later are chanted the words 'love and space'! Fools! How can you talk about love and space (as if they're different things) and also say that love is space?! You've got it all wired up wrong, mate.
Minor quibble, that. It's always good to hear a band with more than one writer in involved, as for example it's clear that the 'Fruits of the Tree' would not be so various and yet ripe if it weren't for the extended family nurturing its steady growth. You'll notice how easy it is to get caught up in the language of this band. I'm not about a cult or anything, and I'm sure I'll stop when the album stops, but I know when I go to work next my job will be made easier by the words 'love and space' soothing my mind and so too the vessel that doth contain the mind upon and within.
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