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Frame & Canvas
Two framed pictures hanging on a gray wall
Studio album by
Braid
ReleasedApril 7, 1998
RecordedDecember 1997
StudioInner Ear
Genre
Length41:51
LabelPolyvinyl
Producer
Braid chronology
The Age of Octeen
(1996) 		Frame & Canvas
(1998) 		Movie Music, Vol. 1
(2001)

Frame & Canvas is the third studio album by American rock band Braid. It was released on April 7, 1998, through independent label Polyvinyl Record Co. After the release of The Age of Octeen (1996), drummer Damon Atkinson replaced Roy Ewing as he was unable to commit to touring. Recording took place at Inner Ear Studios in December 1997 with J. Robbins helping to produce the sessions. Frame & Canvas is an emo and post-hardcore album with lyrics co-written by vocalist/guitarists Chris Broach and Bob Nanna, or solely from Nanna.

Preceded by a European tour with the Get Up Kids, Frame & Canvas was promoted with tours across the US, Canada, Europe and Japan with the likes of Compound Red, Discount and Burning Airlines. Frame & Canvas received a mainly favorable response from music critics, with comments praising the songs' melodies. It would go on to sell over 16,000 copies by July 2004. Frame & Canvas has appeared on best-of album lists for the emo genre in publications such as Kerrang!, NME and Rolling Stone.

Background and production

Following the release of The Age of Octeen in 1996, Braid played shows around Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri in September and October.[1][2] Between November 1996 and January 1997, the band toured the south and west coasts of the United States. Following a handful of shows in February, drummer Roy Ewing left from the band in March.[2][3] He was replaced by Damon Atkinson of Figurehead;[3] Atkinson had previously filled in for Ewing when he was unable to book time off work for a tour. Atkinson was a fan of the band and Ewing's drumming; when he came to practice, they felt he was the perfect replacement.[4] Touring continued throughout the year; they played with the likes of the Get Up Kids, Tomorrow and Compound Red, among others.[2]

During this time, the band wrote material for their next album while attending college; vocalist/guitarist Chris Broach dropped out as the band was becoming more active.[5] "First Day Back" and "Hugs from Boys" were recorded in August 1997.[6] Following on from this, the band traveled across the United States with Rainer Maria in October.[2] To coincide with the tour, they released the two songs on a 7" vinyl record through independent label Polyvinyl Record Co.[7] The members used to skateboard with co-founder Matt Lunsford before they became a band;[8] he and co-founder Darcie Knight organized the band's first-ever show in 1993.[5]

The day vocalist/guitarist Bob Nanna graduated from college, the band traveled to Washington, D.C., to record their next album.[5] Frame & Canvas was recorded in December 1997 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, with J. Robbins and the band acting as producers.[9][10] The band had met Robbins twice before work on Frame & Canvas.[5] They approached him because of his work on albums by the Promise Ring and Kerosene 454.[4] Robbins served as the engineer and also mixed the recordings.[10] The recording and mixing process lasted six days, and each recording day lasted 13 hours.[4][9]

Composition and lyrics

Musically, the sound of Frame & Canvas has been described as emo and post-hardcore, landing between the late 1990s Midwest emo and D.C. post-hardcore acts such as Fugazi and Jawbox (of which Robbins was a member).[5] All of the music was written by Braid; Nanna wrote lyrics for seven of the tracks, and co-wrote the rest with Broach.[11] Broach came up with the title Frame & Canvas, which is taken from "Killing a Camera". Nanna said it referred to "some kind of art school thing".[5] Broach has a bigger vocal role on the album compared to previous releases; he explained it was because he was "sick of being pushed down in the mix".[4] The opening track, "The New Nathan Detroits", begins with a math rock drum introduction by Atkinson.[12] It features Broach and Nanna discussing job prospects with their parents. "Never Will Come for Us" included references to being an underground act that did not get airplay, and playing shows at friends' house parties.[5] "First Day Back" was written after arriving home from their late 1996/early 1997 tour, and settling in after being gone for a while.[6] "Collect from Clark Kent" is an atypical Midwest emo track, which talks about a breakdown in communication and long-distance issues.[5]

"Milwaukee Sky Rocket" was initially titled "Sky Rocket", until Atkinson—who was from Milwaukee—joined the band. They were working on "A Dozen Roses" in Nanna's parents' basement when Atkinson began playing what he called "this cool beat ... immediately once he started playing. 'This is different'."[5] Robbins added tambourine to the track.[11] Discussing "Urbana's Too Dark", Borach said Urbana, Illinois, was where the members lived alongside "the art kids and music kids. The frats were in Champaign and the old guard", such as Hum and Poster Children.[5] The track's title referred to a movement that called for more street lights in the town because of concern over sexual assaults. With "Consolation Prize Fighter", the members felt there was competition from other bands, especially from their friends' bands, to make great albums and songs.[5] It was written with "Urbana's Too Dark" in 1995.[4] "Ariel" is about living under one roof with people in bands while wishing the music they were making in the basement was happening upstairs.[5] Robbins played an extra drum kit on "Breathe In",[11] which Broach was highly impressed by. According to him, the song is about "trying to be the best person".[5] Nanna said to occupy himself on tour he would compose lyrics; the lyrics of "I Keep a Diary" were used verbatim from a journal entry.[5]

Release and tours

Between January and March 1998, the band went on a tour of Europe with the Get Up Kids.[2] Frame & Canvas was released on April 7 through Polyvinyl.[13] It was promoted with a stint across the United State with Compound Red until early May. The band immediately went back on tour with the Get Up Kids throughout May, and various acts in June. In August, they played one show in their home state, before embarking on a Canadian tour with Discount. Following on from this, they embarked on an East Coast tour in October and early November. Throughout the rest of November and December, the band toured across Europe with Robbins' band Burning Airlines.[2]

After a handful of northeastern US shows,[2] the band went on a west coast tour with Seaweed and 365 Days of Pure Movie Magic in March 1999.[14] They went on a cross-country tour throughout April with Kind of Like Spitting, before embarking on a Japanese tour with Eversor in May.[2] In June, the band announced they would be breaking up due to "internal stress".[15] It was later revealed that Broach wanted to return to school and had little interest in the band by this point.[16] Aside from playing a friend's wedding, the band played their last few shows in August, including a hometown performance[2] which was later released as the Lucky to Be Alive (2000) live album.[17] Footage from the band's last five days was included in the band's documentary film Killing a Camera (2001).[18]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
LAS Magazine7.8/10[19]

AllMusic reviewer Blake Butler noted the band came up with "very technical pop melodies", accompanied by frequent time signature changes. He liked the "beautiful interlocking" guitar lines, which were "fused together with yelled/sung boyish vocals" from Broach and Nanna. The record cemented itself as one of the band's best works. Blake even went as far as to say by the end of the first track "you know you will be humming these melodies in your head for at least the next few days".[13] LAS Magazine founder Eric J. Herboth said it was "the record that is going to blow things wide open for Braid". He added that the band found an "equally amazing drummer" in Atkinson, a "candy coated plush sound" and a "new best friend" with Robbins.[19]

As of July 2004, Frame & Canvas has sold over 16,000 copies.[20] It has appeared on various best-of emo album lists by Consequence of Sound,[21] Kerrang!,[22] LA Weekly,[23] NME,[24] and Rolling Stone.[25] Similarly, "A Dozen Roses" appeared on a best-of emo songs list by Vulture.[26] OC Weekly said the album establish Polyvinyl and pushed the band as an important figure in the emo scene.[27] The album was an important snapshot of second-wave emo and the indie rock scene that was based in Champagin, Illinois, during the mid-1990s.[5] Nanna ranked it as his second favorite Braid album: "You can hear the fact that we really needed to nail it and you can tell we’re nervous but excited and really pressed for time. But I’m still happy with the way it sounds."[9] In 2012, the band embarked on a two-week US tour where they performed Frame & Canvas in its entirety.[28]

Track listing

All music by Braid, lyricist noted below in brackets.[11] All songs produced by J. Robbins and Braid.[10]

  1. "The New Nathan Detroits" (Bob Nanna, Chris Broach) – 4:18
  2. "Killing a Camera" (Nanna, Broach) – 2:34
  3. "Never Will Come for Us" (Nanna, Broach) – 3:31
  4. "First Day Back" (Nanna) – 3:22
  5. "Collect from Clark Kent" (Nanna) – 3:26
  6. "Milwaukee Sky Rocket" (Broach, Nanna) – 3:13
  7. "A Dozen Roses" (Nanna) – 4:15
  8. "Urbana's Too Dark" (Nanna) – 3:26
  9. "Consolation Prize Fighter" (Nanna) – 3:13
  10. "Ariel" (Nanna) – 2:38
  11. "Breathe In" (Broach, Nanna) – 2:16
  12. "I Keep a Diary" (Nanna) – 5:47

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[10]

Braid

Additional musicians

  • J. Robbins – extra percussion (tracks 5 and 11)

Production

  • J. Robbins – engineer, mixing, producer
  • Braid – producer
  • Andy Mueller – design, photography

References

  1. ^ "The Age of Octeen - Braid | Release Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Braid shows". Braid. Archived from the original on June 17, 2000. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Frey, Tracy. "Braid | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Encarnacion, Joe (April 3, 1998). "Short for emotional?: An exclusive interview with Braid". The Daily Illini. Archived from the original on January 6, 2002. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cohen, Ian (April 6, 2018). "My Son, Have You Grown: Braid Talk Frame & Canvas 20 Years Later". Stereogum. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "First Day Back b/w Hugs From Boys". Braid. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "First Day Back - Braid | Release Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Ozzi, Dan (August 8, 2019). "Polyvinyl Records Co-Founder Picks 10 Important Albums from Their Catalog". Noisey. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Pearlman, Mischa (August 20, 2015). "Rank Your Records: Braid's Bob Nanna Rates the Emo Pioneers' Six Albums". Noisey. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d Frame & Canvas (booklet). Braid. Polyvinyl Record Co. 1998. PRC-018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ a b c d "Frame and Canvas". Braid. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  12. ^ Anthony, David (April 6, 2018). "Braid's 'Frame & Canvas' Was Too Ahead of Its Time for Its Own Good". Noisey. Vice. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Butler, Blake. "Frame & Canvas – Braid". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  14. ^ "Braid". Braid. Archived from the original on February 3, 1999. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  15. ^ "Artist News". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 58, no. 622. June 14, 1999. ISSN 0890-0795. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  16. ^ Bushman, Mike (March 2002). "Hey Mercedes". Modern Fix. Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Lucky to Be Alive (booklet). Braid. Glue Factory Records. 2000. GFY70007-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Killing a Camera 2004 (sleeve). Braid. Bifocal Media. 2004. BFM021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ a b Herboth, Eric J. (October 1, 2004). "Braid Frame & Canvas". LAS Magazine. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  20. ^ Cavalieri, Nate (July 7, 2004). "Emo Money". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  21. ^ Chelosky, Ryan de (March 2, 2020). "10 Emo Albums Every Music Fan Should Own". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on March 8, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  22. ^ Freitas, Ryan de (May 12, 2020). "The 20 Best Pre-2000s Emo Albums". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  23. ^ Whipple, Kelsey (October 10, 2013). "Top 20 Emo Albums in History: Complete List". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  24. ^ "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". NME. January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on August 16, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  25. ^ Burgess, Aaron (March 1, 2016). "40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  26. ^ Nelson, Brad (February 13, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  27. ^ "Top 10 Emo Bands of the '90s". OC Weekly. July 3, 2013. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  28. ^ Paul, Aubin (July 19, 2012). "Braid / Owen / Aficionado (Frame and Canvas Album Shows)". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
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