Braid
Frame & Canvas [25th Anniversary Edition]
POLYVINYL
Braid formed in 1993 when the band’s members bonded over a mutual love of Minor Threat, Rites of Spring, and other hardcore punk bands on Dischord Records. They went on to become one of the forerunners of Midwest emo in Champaign, Illinois—ground zero for the punk subgenre. Braid broke up in 1999, but reunited and disbanded again multiple times in subsequent years. Most notably, they released a new album, No Coast, in 2014. But because Braid still haven’t put out a follow-up record since then—combined with their fluctuating on-again, off-again status—history hasn’t been as kind to the band as it should be.
Enter Frame & Canvas’s 25th anniversary reissue. By re-releasing the third of Braid’s four albums, Polyvinyl Records is reminding audiophiles of the critical role this particular LP played in the rise of emo. In fact, the band and the label seem so confident about the strength of the record that they didn’t add any bonus tracks to the quarter-century-old release. What the newly packaged version does feature, however, is a sound remixed and remastered by coveted punk producer J. Robbins. Credit him with finding the album’s original tapes before Inner Ear Studios was demolished, and for twiddling the knobs for its remixed anniversary edition. Strikingly, it’s the first reissue of the landmark record, as Braid didn’t even put out a new edition of Frame & Canvas when they played the record in its entirety on a 2012 tour.
A/B’ing the original version of the album with this revitalized edition, the differences are stark. Damon Atkinson’s drums sound far more crisp (as do the percussion parts that Robbins himself contributed to two songs on the record). The separation of sounds is cleaner. And overall, the production is shinier and brighter than the version Braid quickly recorded in five days in 1998, when it was in vogue to make records that sounded muffled by pillows. But most importantly of all, Chris Broach’s voice finally gets its due on the remixed cut. Back when Braid made the record, the vocalist/guitarist insisted that his singing be featured more prominently to rectify his contributions getting lost in the mix on previous albums. Finally, Frame & Canvas properly captures Broach’s vocals in their full glory.
With the addition of new artwork and fresh liner notes, Braid fans will find an even deeper appreciation for the time signature changes and borderline-pop melodies that made the record a classic. The upgrade of Frame & Canvas is something of an audio equivalent of watching a movie from the 1990s on high-definition TV: Modern music production equipment breathes new life into the record thanks to layers and intricacies of sound that were previously buried too deep to appreciate. Ignore the drawback of the technology’s precision—like how much makeup the actors are really wearing—and you’re in for a grand old trip down memory lane.
