Some bands rely so heavily on poignant lyricism, it makes you wonder whether poetry or music is its root intent. The art rock musings of The Braids are unmistakably musical at heart, with lyrics seemingly stemming naturally out of melodious background rhythm. Would this album be a success without a single accompanying written word sung aloud? The bet hear is yes, but not to take away from the lyrics themselves, which are both thought-provoking in nature with impressive vocals complementary in sound.Only 7 songs long, Native Speaker‘s songs are a collection of calculated musical marathons rather than sprints, with tracks nearing the 9 minute mark and none shorter than 4 minutes and 25 seconds. Were we to offer a single criticism to The Braids second release, perhaps a minute here and there could be shaved in the spirit of time-saving, while still accomplishing a song’s objective. However, if left to choose between tossing out cookie cutter tracks for the sake of volume alone or Native Speaker as it stands, we would unquestionably opt for the 7 thoroughly developed, albeit longer, songs.Preceded by an EP entitled Set Pieces, self-released in 2008, Native Speaker is The Braids first offering at a full-length album. Comprised of Raphaelle Standell-Preston on lead vocals and guitar, Katie Lee on keyboard and vocals, Austin Tufts on drums and vocals, and Taylor Smith on bass, guitar, samples, percussion and vocals, the group first started working on Native Speaker in July of 2009, but paused to embark on their first major tour, across their native country of Canada. The Braids will look to build upon the initial success of Native Speaker, met with much critical acclaim, already planning tours of both the US and Canada in 2011.