Rating: NNNN
On the follow-up to their excellent Polaris-shortlisted debut, Native Speaker, Montreal-based art rock trio Braids (now one member lighter) employ a plugged-in approach that straddles the line between pop and minimalist electronica. Lethargic, listless numbers fill most of the album, with Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s beautiful, dynamic vocals flitting and floating across creeping synthesizers.
It’s a sharp contrast to their debut, where she was more likely to yelp overtop heavy, organic layers of strings, drums and keyboards. Now, the band’s wiggling guitars are nearly indiscernible, and the vocal acrobatics are reined in. But Braids haven’t forgotten the element of surprise completely some songs (like fantastic closer In Kind) still employ those cascading climaxes. Flourish // Perish sounds like an extension of Standell-Preston’s other musical project, Blue Hawaii. In fact, many of the songs could be interchangeable with that project, but this isn’t a fault. If the songs are this lovely, does it really matter?
Top track: In Kind
Braids play the Blk Box Theatre November 1.
