Akron/Family Unleashes Sonic Bacchanalia With Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free

Akron/Family revels in a kind of musical alchemy, most evident here on "Sun Will Shine," a rock anthem that eventually dissolves deliriously into an alcohol-drenched round of "Auld Lang Syne." If that doesn’t bring a smile to your face, you’re either a teetotaller or inconsolable. On the other hand, songs that can be used for mind-expansion often simply expand too far— too far, at least, to be enjoyed in a non-altered mood. For this reason, the bloated track "Creatures" fails, its horns sounding wheedling and needy. "MBF" is also a fatty low-point.

But bright, eager moments of effortless charm are plentiful on Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free. "River" is a highlight, starting with airy call-and-response that turns around on itself into the resolve of military drums. With the catchy lyrics "a wordless whisper sighs and pleas, little deaths envelop thee, you and I and a flame makes three," it’s one of those songs that become traveling companions.

In fact, the entire album has an outdoorsy feel to it; "They Will Appear" is a fleshy track with the essence of campfire promises, and the prominence of three-part harmonies throughout creates an intimacy that convinces the listener we’re running with a pack of friends. It’s no wonder, then, that Akron/Family once famously paraded its audience right out the doors of Emo’s and into the streets of Austin for a shirtless sing-a-long. Gauzy, simply entrancing songs like "Many Ghosts" allow them to play the role of a benevolent, Puck-ish Pied Piper, and we couldn’t be happier to follow along.