Lemonade – Braids Lemonade – Braids (Free Download / Buy)

When I first met Braids early this past summer for an interview, two things impressed me: the bond that they clearly shared with each other and how that bond enabled them to write and perform some fantastic music. Their new full-length, Native Speaker, is a testament to this connection and showcases the band’s ability to experiment with their sound using the full range of talent in each member.

The opening track, “Lemonade”, with its stunning key flourishes and lingering harmonies, immediately proves that this band is not a remake of Animal Collective, but a group attempting to curate a defining, different sound. The follow up, “Plath Heart”, provides a pleasant contrast, flowing with an airy sense of space and notes that sound as though they’re vibrating off walls and colliding with each other. With the originality of each track, and of their music as a whole, they have clearly created something that goes beyond the haze of most music available from post-rock bands.

“Lammicken”, the darkest song on the album and likely my favorite, begins with a single beat that transforms into a complete movement with multi-layered, desperate vocals. The deep bass sound running throughout completely knocks me out each time I listen to this track, and the drum patters, breaking from convention as well, add an element of mystery to the song. They maintain a delicate balance between complimenting the rest of the music and taking on an element that’s all their own.

With three of their songs reaching over seven minutes in length, Braids has crafted something that the listener can actually experience. “Glass Deers” for instance, transitions from an ethereal opening of stretched and squeezed synth and horns, to a solid foundation of percussion and guitars that explode later into the song. With these longer tracks, the band has managed to straddle a very delicate line between creating something with structure and something with chaos. They don’t subscribe to the rule of standard verses, choruses, and short hooks, but venture out into a more uncharted destination. The result is emotional and very unique. Even “Native Speaker”, with its constant array of sound and movement, strays from the repetition that can make similar tracks seem boring and remains engaging till the end.

Perhaps what I find most impressive, though, is this band’s ability to perform these intricate tracks well live. After seeing them a few times in New York, I highly recommend that you do the same!

01-27 Laval, QC – Studio Theatre Maison Des Arts
01-28 Kingston, ON – The Grad Club
01-30 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub
01-31 Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
02-01 St. Louis, MO – The Old Rock House
02-02 Norman, OK – Opolis
02-04 Dallas, TX – Club Dada *$
02-05 Austin, TX – The Mohawk *$
02-07 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade *$
02-08 Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder *$
02-09 West Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern *$
02-11 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel *$
02-12 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory *$
02-13 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie *$
02-16 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge *$
02-17 Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall *$
02-18 Montreal, Quebec – Il Motore *$
02-19 Toronto, ON – El Mocambo *$
02-21 Columbus, OH – Skully’s Music Diner *$
02-22 Urbana, IL – Canopy Club *$
02-23 Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s *$
02-24 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry *$
02-25 Madison, WI – Der Rathskellar (University of Wisconsin) *$
02-26 Chicago, IL – Subterranean *$
03-01 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey *
03-02 Portland, OR – Holocene *
03-03 Arcata, CA – Jambalaya *$
03-04 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop *
03-05 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour *
03-10 Costa Mesa, CA – Detroit Bar %
03-11 San Diego, CA – Casbah %
03-12 Las Vegas, NV – Neon Reverb Festival %
03-14 Santa Fe, NM – Corazon %
03-21 Tempe, AZ – Sail Inn !~
03-26 Kennewick, WA – The Red Room !~
03-28 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret !
04-06 Bloomington, IN – The Bishop !
04-13 Baltimore, MD – Talking Head !

* Baths
$ Star Slinger
% Asobi Seksu
! Toro Y Moi
~ Cloud Nothings