Album Review: Braids – Flourish//Perish
Braids’ first album, Native Speaker, had a definite child-like feel to it. An emphasis on simple melodies and repetition layered over dreamy harmonies and intricate percussion made for an undeniably catchy, impressive debut. Since then, however, the Canadian group have grown up, losing a member and taking an altogether darker route with their music, shifting from an Animal Collective-like emphasis on percussion, to a more electronic feel. The change was introduced with the release of their EP In Kind/Amends in June of this year and with the release of their second full-length effort, the transformation feels much more complete.
Flourish//Perish sees Braids becoming much more introspective than they were in their earlier work. The change in musical direction has allowed for much more subtlety, which, in turn, has made Flouish//Perish an incredibly intricate record. ‘December’ has a simply stunning vocal part that swells and ebbs with real beauty and is simple without being juvenile. ‘Ebben’ stands out for its beautiful use of drums, a quiet, repetitive beat that at first accompanies the delicate vocals but soon rises to become the focal point, something that’s often hard to achieve without resorting to the classic 80s drum solo. It’s elements like this that make the record such an intriguing listen, each track layers up on itself, and each play through reveals things missed before, or that were obscured by other parts but that become more apparent with time.
‘Girl’, provides a wonderful example of the band’s development, particularly through singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s distinctive and striking voice. Often quite high pitched, her voice is instantly recognisable and helps the band retain a strong identity despite their overall changes. But on ‘Girl’, it’s used in a very different way, as an instrument in itself, perfectly complimenting the mixture of piano and synths that accompanies it. It’s a soft, perfectly controlled vocal performance and a beautiful song full of subtlety and maturity. It strikes a perfect balance between the old and the new by reimagining the old traits that made everyone fall in love with Braids in the first place, but updating and rejuvenating them to suit the band they’ve become.
Flourish//Perish is exactly the album you’d want as a follow up to something as strong as Native Speaker. It still has all the elements that made their first LP such a joy but also allows the band to grow, creating something fresh with the original elements. The album’s closer ‘In Kind’, remains unfinished, cutting off in what feels like the middle of a phrase. It’s a fitting ending for an album that marks such a departure from where its creators began. It feels like the band have unfinished business, and leaves the door open for them to go on changing, adapting and evolving.
– Rachel Bolland
