Flourish // Perish
On their sophomore album, the Montreal-based trio Braids make a pared-down version of the art-rock sound that pervaded their lauded 2011 full-length, *Native Speaker*. Though Braids are indeed one band member fewer than they were in 2011, their compositions are also more distilled and minimal, with tracks coming across as tone poems with a visceral edge. Owing something to the lineage of Björk and Radiohead, *Flourish // Perish* is at its best on repeat listens, where the subtle changes in extended pieces like \"Together\" become more somatic and pronounced.
If Montreal indie rockers Braids' debut Native Speaker drew its power from being the proverbial tip of the iceberg, Flourish // Perish is the iceberg itself, impressive and monolithic. It’s an interesting and daring turn for Braids, retaining the complicated, prog-like arrangements of their past while working within the textures of IDM and minimal techno.
It's a deviation from what they stole hearts with originally, but Braids' second album finds them indulging in a glorious tangent.
When Braids played South by Southwest in 2011, they were unlikely heroes, turning cerebral, nuanced compositions into…
With a title that reflects the knife's edge between life and death, success and failure, it's not surprising that making Braids' second album was a crisis moment for the band.
Returning after a foray into side project Blue Hawaii, BRAIDS' follow up to Native Speaker finds them crystallizing their influences and thought processes into one of the most accomplished collections of tracks this year.
Album review: Clash reviews the new album from Canadian act BRAIDS, 'Flourish // Perish', released on Full Time Hobby
Braids’s sophomore effort has a quiet, unassuming depth that far outstrips the flash of its predecessor.
Native Speaker, Braids' 2011 debut, was an album notable for it's psychedelic restraint as much as it's sexual come-ons.