The record doesn’t fade into the background the way Flourish // Perish could at times. It seizes attention and engages the listener’s emotions.
The specificity in the lyrics and the clarity of Standell-Preston’s voice gives the album an immediate human pull. Beneath that initial glitter, though, Braids have stockpiled a wealth of complexities like puzzles for us to untangle.
Deep in the Iris honors emotional states that aren't easy to express -- musically or otherwise -- and brings a clarity to them that make it some of the band's most empathetic music.
Deep in the Iris doesn’t completely dissolve Braids’ diverging impulses into one another, but it knows when to nurture one and temper the other, embracing fair compromise without unfair sacrifice.
Deep in the Iris marks a turning point for the band, and I can't wait to hear what's next.
Deep in the Iris never lets you get quite too familiar, or comfortable.
Deep In The Iris is full-bodied and assertive, while their lyrics address both the personal and the cultural.
Deep In The Iris feels like something of a sidestep for the band, a digression that toys with candour while still being dominated by a carefully calculated instrumental palette.
Although the music doesn’t always conjure it, there’s power in the album’s consciousness.
I find most experimental/indie stuff to be totally pretentious and boring, but this album is absolutely authentic and amazing! They managed to find the perfect balance between interesting and catchy, with every song sounding distinct and telling its own story and also being completely cohesive.
Favorites: Miniskirt, Warm Like Summer, Letting Go, Taste and Sore Eyes.
I find most experimental/indie stuff to be totally pretentious and boring, but this album is absolutely authentic and amazing! They managed to find the perfect balance between interesting and catchy, with every song sounding distinct and telling its own story and also being completely cohesive.
Favorites: Miniskirt, Warm Like Summer, Letting Go, Taste and Sore Eyes.
I sat on this entry for awhile now. I had to re-listen several times to organize my point of view so as to avoid entering a dreadful write-up. tha138 noted the Cocteau Twins vibe... While, BuffaloStaple drew attention to production issues with each of these reviewers giving the release middle ground marks. For me, it's a bit too polished. And, while I do love the Cocteau Twins, I'd rather spin their records than hear them as an influence on another bands LP. My personal favorite of Braids is ... read more
The production on this thing is just too glistening and sugary for my taste, and the lyrical subject matter just rubs me the wrong way on a lot of these tracks. Also these songs are incredibly formulaic and the way they are written/structured makes them feel very mundane imo. I do like the lead singer's voice though, she has a good grasp of melody so occasionally the album can be pretty catchy like on the song Taste for example. Outside of that though, there's nothing here that i'd want to ... read more
1 | Letting Go 4:22 | |
2 | Taste 5:01 | |
3 | Blondie 4:25 | |
4 | Happy When 5:40 | |
5 | Miniskirt 4:54 | |
6 | Getting Tired 3:32 | |
7 | Sore Eyes 3:53 | |
8 | Bunny Rose 5:19 | |
9 | Warm Like Summer 4:24 |
#8 | / | Drowned in Sound |
#27 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#86 | / | Under the Radar |