Akron Family Live Sound Fields(2011)[FLAC] torrent

Live Sound Fields [2011] [EP] Family Tree Records



1. Running, Shouting, and Dancing
2. The Immortals (FIELDS)
3. Singing
4. Force / Fields
5. No Space / Shouting

by Joseph Bogen
Akron/Family’s latest release, Live Sound Fields is a quasi-live album. All of the tracks were recorded live, but fans aren’t likely to recognize many of the songs on here. The opening tracks, “Running, Shouting, and Dancing” and “The Immortals” are probably the most edited and reassembled tracks of the album. The first appears to have been taken from the various drumming jams the band has conducted over the years. Until 2011, these sections always served as the lead in for “Ed is a Portal,” the consistent highlight of every show. But “Running, Shouting and Dancing” is 15 minutes of percussion, noise and yelling that never leads into an actual song. And somewhere in the editing process, the human element feels lost. The chaos has been captured, but none of the direction and joy of these spontaneous live moments. The same could be said for “The Immortals” which is a highly distorted and edited version of the vocal jam that sometimes ends “Ed is a Portal.” This has never been my favorite part of their shows, but after the frenzied energy of “Ed is a Portal” the gentle laid back mid-tempo tune always felt like a nice coda, but distorted and running seven minutes long, it’s just not much fun to listen to at home.

Thankfully, the band choses some much more exciting concert moments with the next two tracks. They also chose to largely present them as performed, without much noticeable studio editing. “Singing” is two minutes of the singing and percussion jam that has closed out “Another Sky” throughout their 2011 tour. It leads directly into “Force/Fields,” which is a live version of “Blessing Force,” the opening track of their 2006 album Meek Warrior. And just like every live version, this version of “Blessing Force,” this one is a substantial improvement over its studio counterpart. The frenzied opening is longer and more energized and it closes with a much more focused and longer jam that is actually almost identical to one they played at the close of “Raising the Sparks” at a few shows. Unfortunately, it closes with about two minutes of abrasive noise that makes me wish they’d cut the track off at seventeen minutes instead of letting it linger for two unnecessary minutes.

What I find disappointing about Live Sound Fields is not the music. For the most part, it’s pretty good, especially the vast majority of the “Singing” and “Force/Fields” jam. But the closing track, “No Space/Shouting,” seems to indicate that the live moments the band is most enamored with are the ones I find the most frustrating and tedious. Specifically, they are those times when the band isn’t playing but instead coaching the audience on an aimless sing along. “No Space/Shouting” appears to have been drawn from the second half of a 2011 performance of “No Space In This Realm” in Oakland this year. For the last half of the song, they have audience members singing, holding notes and eventually, shouting. Maybe it was fun at the show, but listening at home, it just sounded tedious. While it does capture a spontaneous and unique collaborative performance between the band and the audience, it’s just not a particularly good one. Yes, shouting and clapping along is a lot of fun, but it’s the most fun when the band is also playing.


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