Tonight: Akron/Family (Reviewed!) + Warpaint + Buxton

Already talked about the other show this evening that I think sounds particularly cool, so I’m gonna hit the other one here — Midwest-by-way-of-NY psych trio Akron/Family are swinging through town tonight (Tues., February 23rd, obviously), hitting Walter’s with tourmates Warpaint and local heroes Buxton. And trust me when I say it’s gonna be freaking incredible.

I’ll admit to near-total ignorance of the AF crew before their latest album, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, but I’ve been listening to it these past few weeks and have walked away mightily impressed with their ability to throw anything and everything into the mix and still have it come out sounding like, well, like them. They mash together funk, post-rock, jazz, psych-pop, and rustic folk, and the melange together makes something cool and new and impossible to not gape at in awe. I’ll leave it at that — if you want to read my full writeup, head on over here — but just to throw some MP3eage into the pile, here’s one of the best tracks off the album (although it’s not my favorite; opener “Everyone Is Guilty” wins that award with its Shaft-meets-Fleet Foxes funky roll):

Akron/Family – “River” (Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free)

The openers tonight are nothing to sneeze at, mind you. I dearly, dearly love LaPorte-bred indie-folk-rock guys Buxton and will cheerfully force them on any unsuspecting friend or relative who seems even a wee bit open to listening; they’re really that good. Half of their most recent release (a split-7″, although I seem to remember hearing something about a new album being in the works), A-side “Feathers,” has honestly one of the best fucking guitar riffs I’ve ever heard, and I don’t throw that around just anywhere. Check these guys out.

Plus, there’s LA band Warpaint to contend with — they’re fairly distinct from the other two bands on the bill, coming off more like a noisy, murky art-rock squall/haze, riding the line between a druggier Rapture and the angelic-sounding Eisley, but what I’ve heard has been damn, damn good. The video for “Elephants”, below, is pretty mesmerizing:

Enjoy — and there’s plenty more coming this week, so keep an eye out…