Braids – Flourish // Perish

Braids – Flourish // Perish (Full Time Hobby/Arbutus Records)

Braids is a band constantly in a state of flux. After starting to make music together in high school, they relocated from Calgary to Montreal, changed their name, and totally reshaped their sound into a mix of folk, experimentation, and ambient electronica heavily influenced by mid-period Animal Collective. Their tight live performances and promising 2011 debut left them hyped but far from complacent, and their new album finds them on the move once again. This time around they’ve shed a band member as well as the Avey Tare aping in favour of a more introspective, Aphex Twin- and Kid A-inspired sound reminiscent of vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s other project, Blue Hawaii. While Flourish // Perish reaffirms Braids’ gift for deftly lifting and adapting ideas from other bands’ playbooks, it also underscores how far Raph has come towards developing her own, remarkable voice.

//www.youtube.com/embed/_Xk-s4fCCwc

More Braids:

Braids are at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ on 7 September with Bird On The Wire. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.