Braid - No Coast

For those who care, the advent of a new Braid album was cause for celebration. Formed in 1993, disbanded by 1999, the band left behind a legacy that burned brighter than that left behind by many of their contemporaries. Indeed, six years might well not seem all that impressive, hardly even legacy worthy, but in terms of mid-90s emo, their longevity spoke volumes. And whilst they might well have broken up, the following decade saw numerous reformations for tours as well as sporadic re-releases; a decade of tease and uncertainty ultimate ending with 2011s final reunion. Now, having signed to Topshelf Records (whose roster of artists Braid have almost certainly influenced) the band have just released No Coast, their first album of original material in sixteen years, and whilst there's plenty here for people to get excited over, it certainly isn't a record without its foibles.

Sixteen years is a long time to wait between releases, and in that time, both the band and their fans have grown up, and as such left behind (or so one would like to think) the bleeding hearts and the woe is me mentality of the late '90s scene they, amongst others, spearheaded. Fortunately for long time fans however there is still plenty of aspects recognisable from that era; the arpeggiated guitars; the staccatoed drums; Bob Nanna's quintessential delivery, it's all present and it's all tied up neatly with production that, unfortunately, feels all too contemporary when draped across the nostalgic composition of some of No Coasts stronger moments, whilst the lesser tracks that make up a mid-album lull seem to bleed in to one another, especially after repeated listens.

This shouldn't really come as a surprise though. After all, when a band's popularity is predicated on the resonance of teenage angst and the insecurities of early adulthood, what happens when that band and their fans come to realise there's more to life than that? That said though, No Coast isn't without its high points, 'East End Hollows' and 'Damages' are particular early highlights, whilst the eponymous 'No Coast' could have quite easily been taken from 1998s Frame and Canvas and would have held up in their pre-breakup sets effortlessly. Interestingly enough however, it's the latter tracks ('Climber New Entry', 'This is Not A Revolution') where No Coast really finds its feet, leaving behind the staple post-emo aesthetic, instead daring to flirt with occasional lite-shoegaze guitars that breathe new life in to album's closing moments. Indeed, it's the final track 'This is Not A Revolution' that brings about a real mellowing of sorts, bringing to mind the likes of Death Cab For Cutie over any of their contemporaries.

No Coast is a record that conjured mixed emotions in me during this review. I can't say that I wasn't disappointed at first, this wasn't the Braid I was lucky enough to catch last year, this was barely even emo. Several listens later and I still felt much the same, but had a better insight in to the record's highlights, and whilst it certainly won't emblazon itself on to the scenes psyche the same way Frame and Canvas (the band's first and only major release) did, it's a step on the way to Braid becoming a force to be reckoned with once again.