Braids: Native Speaker

Braids
Native Speaker
Rating: Meh

In the South, you cannot go to a BBQ or cookout without there being coleslaw. Everyone apparently loves coleslaw and does their best to get me to try some. I just can't. There is something about the taste that is completely unappealing to me; and though I keep trying to enjoy it, I finally had to throw up the white flag and surrender. It's just not going to happen. So, what does coleslaw have to do with the debut album from Braids, Native Speaker? Almost every review of this album has been glowing, if not rapturously so, and like coleslaw, I just don't find it all that appealing. The separate elements that make up the band seem right on paper, but the sum total just does nothing for me.

The album itself sounds great, the guitars are crystalline, the vocals are clear and bright, and the drums have a nice weight and propulsion; but altogether there is something adrift and aimless about the record. The 7 tracks are all over the 4 minute mark, with several of them well past 8 minutes. While I am all for lengthy tracks, there has to be a point of interest for me to hang my coat on for a long haul. Raphaelle Standell-Preston's voice is initially interesting, sticking to the lower registers, she has a lovely tone, however, she tends to take off on very irritating tangents (in the name of quirkiness no doubt) and instead of lending texture or depth to the songs, it just overshadows the music and is jarring. This is most apparent on lead track "Lemonade"



The shimmering, Animal Collective style liquidity of the music is completely upended when Standell-Preston takes a flight of fancy.

Too many of the tracks on Native Speaker take this approach and disturb a lovely set of instrumentals with unnecessary vocal wanking. "Plath Heart," has a lovely, bouncing beat and skronky guitar notes that again are overtaken by too many vocal runs.



The title track has some lovely ambient washes of sound, and samples that are overridden by pretentiously overwrought lyrics and vocals. Standell-Preston has amazing range, but she tries to hard to make her voice sound odd; recalling Bjork, Joanna Newsome, PJ Harvey, Lisa Gerrard, but with none of their control.



"Same Mum" has some gorgeous interlocking, intertwined guitar parts that play well off each other, but again the vocals sound like a high school glee club warm up.



Ironically, where Standell-Preston reigns her vocal tics in, as on "Lammicken," that's when the band gives her nothing to cling to. The song floats endlessly on a bed of warped electronics, and never really takes off until the very end, when interest has waned.



Just like with the coleslaw, I have tried to really love this album and there is always a wall between me and it. I even saw them live last night opening for Baths, and I actually thought they sounded better live than on record. Standell-Preston's voice appeared more controlled and less prone to take off towards the stratosphere. The band itself was very tight, yet fluid, and really showed more of the Animal Collective influence that keeps being referenced. Will this album ever captivate me? Most likely not, but do I hope to be persuaded in the future? I hope so, as I can see that the building blocks are there; they are just not being used in the correct manner yet.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.