Though each member of the band — Miles Seaton, Seth Olinsky, Dana Janssen and formerly Ryan Vanderhoof — can be relegated to loosely defined roles (drummer, guitarist, bassist, vocalist), all of them play several instruments and sing, as evidenced by their shows and recorded material. When playing live, the band makes prominent use of improvisation and vocal harmonies. On their self-titled debut record, field recordings of a creaking chair, thunderclaps and the white noise of a television find their way alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and a glockenspiel.
In addition to their solo debut in 2005, the band played behind Michael Gira on his Angels of Light project as well as splitting a full length CD with Angels of Light.
In 2006, the band released an EP, “Meek Warrior,” a collaboration with master drummer/hero Hamid Drake which contained both more traditional folk music such as the lovely "Gone Beyond" and a pair of throbbing electric guitar monsters in “The Rider (Dolphin Song)” and the epic “Blessing Force,” which ends with an exploration into free jazz.
Sometime between the completion of [2007 release] Love Is Simple and Akron/Family’s 2007 U.S. tour, Vanderhoof left Akron/Family to live in a Buddhist Dharma center in the Midwest.
The band has also released several tour EPs featuring demos and other recordings. In May of 2009, the trio released Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free. This album serves as a blend of the previous albums with more acoustic-folk songs like "Set 'em Free," to fusion freak-outs like "Gravelly Mountains of the Moon."
In January of 2011 they released their album, "S/T II: The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of Shinju TNT ."
Akron/Family's sixth studio album, Sub Verses, was released on April 30, 2013 on Dead Oceans. The band toured for the album from January 29 to December 8, 2013. After the tour the band decided to focus on personal projects, leaving the door open for a possible reunion in the future.
The Alps & Their Orange Evergreen
Akron/Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That’s exactly when they send you back
It comes together only to fall apart
You’ll start again
You’ll start over
For the others always only on the other side
What makes a side?
What makes another?
Go by the sea
Or are they lakes?
But for the sake of the sunny mountainside that sits
Across the water body
From the mountain in the shade
And the baby bathers push me mountains (?)
For the valley it sends all swimming
We’re reeling yes we’re spinning
But importantly, together together together oh
But importantly, together together together oh
Things that are still
Sometimes appear to move
Things that are still
Sometimes they appear to move
The lyrics of Akron/Family's song "The Alps & Their Orange Evergreen" are rich with metaphorical meanings that can be interpreted in many different ways. The song seems to be about the cyclical nature of life and how things often come together, only to fall apart again. It's about starting over and trying again, even when things seem hopeless. The opening lines of the song, "Just when you've finally forgotten you're alive / your light (?), That's exactly when they send you back," suggest that life is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The phrase "your light (?)" could mean the light of consciousness or the light of life itself.
The chorus of the song, "For the others always only on the other side / What makes a side? What makes another?" seems to suggest that there are always opposing sides in life, but what divides them is not always clear-cut. The following verse mentions orange trees in Switzerland that grow by the sea or the lake, further reinforcing the idea that life is full of paradoxes and contradictions. The lines "Things that are still / Sometimes appear to move" further emphasize this point.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Alps & Their Orange Evergreen" are open to interpretation and can be read in many different ways. The song seems to be about the cyclical nature of life and the importance of starting over and trying again, even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Just when you’ve finally forgotten you’re alive / your light (?)
When you are so consumed in the moment that you forget about life’s challenges and let your true self shine.
That’s exactly when they send you back
It is in these moments of joy that life throws you back to reality.
It comes together only to fall apart
Things in life may start off really well but inevitably break apart.
You’ll start again
You will pick yourself back up again and keep going.
You’ll start over
You will have to reset and start over again sometimes.
For the others always only on the other side
People always seem to be on the other side – not quite accessible.
What makes a side?
The idea of having sides is not always clear-cut.
What makes another?
What defines one side from another?
And in Switzerland the orange trees
In Switzerland, you might see orange trees by the water.
Go by the sea
They are a beautiful sight by the water.
Or are they lakes?
Perhaps they are by a lake.
But for the sake of the sunny mountainside that sits
These orange trees contribute to a beautiful and serene environment.
Across the water body
They are on the other side of the water from where I am.
From the mountain in the shade
On the other side of the water, there is a mountain that is covered in shade.
And the baby bathers push me mountains (?)
Other people's carefree attitudes sometimes make life harder.
For the valley it sends all swimming
The valley sends a sense of relief to everyone there.
We’re reeling yes we’re spinning
We are going through life trying to keep up with everything that’s happening.
But importantly, together together together oh
Despite everything, we are in this together and should support each other.
Things that are still
Things that are not moving.
Sometimes appear to move
They may seem like they are moving.
Things that are still
Things that are not moving.
Sometimes they appear to move
They may seem like they are moving.
Contributed by Sydney I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.