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B | Braid | Frame and Canvas

Braid - Frame and Canvas

What happened to emo? What made it such a bad word? What bands or musicians starting making music that was so depressing that it made all the kids think that's emo? From what I understand, emo just means emotional. So if that's true, then wouldn't Bob Dylan be considered godfather of emo? Why isn't he emo? Don't all songwriters put out some sort of emotion when writing songs? Isn't every sort of music emo, then? And what's so great about this genre that there are internet video games being made around it?

There was a time back in the late 80's and early 90's that emo wasn't a bad word. It started out really simple. Hardcore music, but with expressive lyrics. As the genre progressed, it's sound became more of a catchy pop sound, with a nerdy edge.

The band that did emo the best in the late 90's, was Braid. 1998's "Frame and Canvas" is considered by many one of the greatest emo records ever made.

Drummer Damon Atkinson is the main attraction. His technical, yet subtle, drumming is the driving force of "Frame and Canvas". Guitarists Bob Nanna and Chris Broach pushed themselves to even greater melodic levels than the previous effort, "The Age of Octeen", while staying true to their sound.

While probably one of the most technical emo records, it's not a Braid song without at least one time signature change. The idea of actually writing songs that are interesting and make you think is something Braid took to heart.

And of course. What would a great emo record be without the lyrics? With words like "please save me from the superpowers that I don't believe in, save me please, I'm lost and alone, I can't come home, I'm stuck in a phone booth," who could resist the cries for help from Bob Nanna's vocals?

Now days, if a band is labelled emo, their shunned by the indie hipster crowd and accepted by the 13 year old mallrats. I want my genre back dammit. I want it back to where the music was interesting, the songs were a form of release of pain and not to pick up chicks. I want it back to how Braid constructed, popularized, and made ok with "Frame and Canvas." This is how emo should be.

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