Experimental indie pop rock. This record is incredibly lush, detailed, and dynamic in production. It sounds like your favorite indie bands Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective at times, but this album also has these noisy freak-outs, proggy tendencies, and dramatic orchestral elements like strings and horns. Also like many of these other trendy indie bands, they are big on vocal harmonization. But what really sets Akron/Family apart from their contemporaries is their trailblazing creativity. They touch on noise, funk, folk, country, prog, pop, psychedelic rock, free jazz(?), tribal rhythms, and everywhere in between; they are beyond the “freak-folk” tag that is often slapped on them. Each song sounds like an ambitious, new genre-bending experiment, loosely held together by warped woodwinds, drugged-out textures, and shape-shifting guitar work. Also see Portugal. The Man, Devendra Banhart, Beach Boys, Syd Barrett, etc. A completely inventive, unpredictable listen, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free is one the best records I’ve heard this year. No FCCs noted.

*1. Organs behind clankering, interesting percussion, and funky guitar riff. Strings come in with shouted vocals. Wild, dynamic, even a bit proggy; track goes into breakdown with horns and sluggish guitars then picks back up to initial groove with woodwinds, strings, backing vocals. (5:58)
2. Shakers; a little more straightforward. Gets catchy with whistling and woodwinds. Guitars are chill and less angular on this one… builds to a rich climax. (4:46)
3. Big thumping bass and stuttering rhythm; this reminds me of TV on the Radio. Vocals are kind of nasally on this; outro adds weird acoustic guitars. (4:13)
4. Folk guitars; lulling, hypnotic. Soaring vocals and strings come in; this is a pretty song and probably the most accessible track on the album. (3:52)
*5. Slide steel guitar and alt-countrified, melodic, folky take with Beach Boys harmonizing near the end. (2:37)
*6. Slow woodwind intro and then horns come in with vocals; begins a swirling, messy rock-out jam a few minutes into the song. Dynamic outro with wild horns, choral vocals, pounding percussion, and it comes to a soft, melodic piano/vocal conclusion. (7:41)
7. Harps, looped violin, electronic drums, steel drums, whining guitars, slower, accessible, and with more catchy backing vocals. (4:05)
*8. Almost an instrumental noise rock track with pumping percussion and pounding bass. Guitars squeal and screech all over the place and then even some clipped screamed vocals come in at the end… experimental. (3:15)
*9. Slow intro, ¾ time, melodic indie folk, sounds a bit like Grizzly Bear, textures of guitars come in… builds to joyous outro and one of the guitars plays what sounds like a harmonica part! (6:28)
*10. Mellower, more melodic track. Dramatic, sweet strings, slide steel guitars, trippy guitars and strong vocal harmonization… absolutely gorgeous. Ambient/noise stuff comes in and drops out…horns and percussion continue a warped version of the first half of the song and ends on Auld Lang Syne (New Years song). (5:13)
11. Slow, spartan Piano ballad, melodic vocals, hopeful. (1:40)