Akron/Family

When freak folk finally fades into indie fad history, no doubt there will be a gaggle of bearded bards lamenting, "Hey, we all had a pretty good run, didn't we?" But Akron/Family will not go softly into that goodnight: like an acid casualty, their Meek Warrior reveals that there is just no returning to normalcy. It unfolds with pounding tribal drums and Hawkwind-esque sound collages that abruptly segue into hippie chants and '60s go-go guitars before morphing into a Fela Kuti-inspired African instrumental jams that drips into distorted jazz. Let it melt your face off, man.