Braids, Flourish // Perish, Arbutus Records
Right from the opening track, “Victoria”, Braids’ Flourish // Perish gives you this feeling that you are waiting by the windowsill while it rains. But in this case, day doesn’t turn to night, and it never stops pouring. It feels like I’m in absolute limbo listening to this. The songs flow so well into each other that there is no notice in change, but there’s a lot whole going on. Maybe I’m just being drowned by these tunes, but for someone who enjoys the challenge of listening to an album, this is every bit challenging as it gets.
Flourish // Perish has a way of painting itself a landscape, and letting you into it’s world. If you are familiar with Brian Eno‘s work, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s a mystery of a listen, and once you finally get it, it rewards you with it’s beautiful texture. You can even hear hints of Radiohead‘s “Kid A” on this album. (See for yourself on the track, “Hossak”)
The vocals are quite impressive too, as the rhythm juggles around quite a bit, the vocals seemingly sync well and is evident in a song such as, “December”, which is one of my favorite tracks. A track that speaks of being lost, there’s no way out, and everything seems meaningless for the time being. Pretty deep stuff happening here on this album. For a band so complex and poetic, I would just love to be in their presence, and see how it all plays out live.
