Their first new material since their breakup in 2000, Closer to Closed finds emo icons Braid reopening the book after over a decade apart.
Unlike some reunion albums, it’s clear that some time has passed for this band.
While the sound is by no means stale, it doesn’t have the same edge that the band became known for during their heyday, at times feeling more like an extension of Hey Mercedes than a proper Braid release.
With just three new songs, as well as a cover of Jeff Hanson’s “You are the Reason” (which features J.
Robbins on piano and percussion), it’s as if Braid is limbering up before launching into something new, working out the kinks and getting comfortable with being a band again.
On a longer album, this kind of pre-game stretching would’ve been hard to swallow, but the EP’s brevity, and the angular and beautifully syncopated “Universe of Worse,” makes the whole thing easier to handle.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Right TimeDamon Atkinson, Todd Bell, Chris Broach, Bob Nanna | Braid | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | Do OverDamon Atkinson, Todd Bell, Chris Broach, Bob Nanna | Braid | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | You Are the ReasonJeff Hanson | Braid | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | Universe or WorseDamon Atkinson, Todd Bell, Chris Broach, Bob Nanna | Braid | Play | 06:14 | 14 MB | 42 MB |
| 16 mins | 36 MB | |||||
| 16 mins | 112 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damon Atkinson | Composer, Group Member |
| 2 | Todd Bell | Composer, Group Member |
| 3 | Braid | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Chris Broach | Composer, Group Member, Photography |
| 5 | Jeff Dean | Assistant Engineer |
| 6 | Jeff Hanson | Composer |
| 7 | Bob Nanna | Composer, Group Member |
| 8 | Carl Saff | Mastering |
| 9 | Andy Vastagh | Design, Layout |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |