Akron/Family's psychotically titled S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT was recorded in an abandoned Detroit train station after a songwriting binge in Japan, where the band lived in a cottage hidden in an active volcano.
Whether or not this leads to insane genius is up in the air. The New York- and Portland-based experimental rockers certainly deliver on the bonkers “Silly Bears” and the dangerously infectious “Light Emerges,” both of which wrap deranged beauty in clever pop.
Sadly, though, some of the material is not quite as ferocious or frantic as the better half. The single “So It Goes” sounds slightly played and just kind of boring. “Creator” passes up the chance to be a finale as brutal as the opener, instead tumbling to a lazy close.
For the first time in their colorful career, A/F sounds relatively conventional. This does not suit them well.
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