| Love Is Simple | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | Akron/Family |
| Cover: | Akron Family Love Is Simple.jpg |
| Released: | September 18, 2007 |
| Genre: | Psychedelic rock, freak folk, experimental rock, New Weird America |
| Length: | 56:51 |
| Label: | Young God Records |
| Producer: | Andrew Weiss, Akron/Family |
| Prev Title: | Meek Warrior |
| Prev Year: | 2005 |
| Next Title: | Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free |
| Next Year: | 2009 |
Love Is Simple is the third studio album by experimental rock band Akron/Family. It was released on September 18, 2007, on Young God Records.[1]
The band referred to the album as "the completion of [their] first cycle... both a love letter to the past and a launching pad into the future. And in a way not before captured, this record has the unmistakable field holler of friendship and brotherhood".[2]
Of the album's creation process and recording for the first time with producer Andrew Weiss, the band said,
"And so from songs inside our heads, and words on papers in [sic] folders, and playing in Seth's parent's garage and getting yelled at by neighbors, we took these songs to Canada and then settled down with them in the woods of New Jersey to record with Andrew Weiss… We met Andrew at a bowling alley in Asbury Park, those same Springsteen stomping grounds. All long hair and glasses and sandals and he invited us to his house to record... Andrew challenged us in ways unforeseen. He fed us copious amounts of stovetop espresso 3 hours past bedtime, he told us how Neil Young had always eaten a huge bowl of pasta right before a show, he reminded us that the records we loved and grew up on all lived in "no place", that Hall and Oates didn't get it right until their 10th try, and finally, he made us try again, and again, and again."
The album received favorable reviews upon release. Tiny Mix Tapes found it to be "the band's strongest release to date," citing their developing songwriting skills, careful arrangements, and explosive energy and exuberance.[3] Eric Harvey of Pitchfork said "the record is bursting at its seams with lovingly and vividly realized ideas culled from a broad selection of prior works... Simple
The band also released a limited edition CD/DVD of the band's "The Great American Mess Tour 2006". The live footage was shot at various locations while on tour.