Music Reviews

Family Of God

Exiter

Sugar Free

Sometimes, a rock band will use electronic elements. Sometimes, it’s the other way around. Very rarely, it’s neither – a complete melding of the sounds one would classify as acoustic, digital, analog, amplified, all used towards the Great Cause of creating a Song. Family Of God fits neatly into this category, tossing off folkie singing in the midst of football-hooligan bleacher stompers. “Baby You’re Your Own TV” repeats its title in chipmunk voices to a bouncy loop. “Country of Smiling Faces” makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into the part of town where the tourists don’t go, as a wailing voice skips along a buzzing marching beat. “Good Morning Mr. Truck Driver” is totally Yello. “Under The Neon” blurs the line between the elements so badly that the result is something dragged through the decades and back.

More than anything, Family Of God’s compositions distinguish themselves by being completely free-standing, each one enjoying a unique approach but all sharing a general sound and feel. Like Pink Floyd and Ween, Family Of God can create an album where every song lives in its own moment without making the others look pale in comparison.

Sugar Free Records, P.O. Box 14166, Chicago, IL 60614; http://www.sugarfreerecords.com


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