A couple of years ago we wrote about a young Calgary band, the Neighborhood Council. They had a single self-released EP. The band’s still pretty young, but have since moved to Montreal, changed their name to Braids (no, not Braid, emo boy), and are set to release a full-length, Native Speaker. With the name change has come a shift in angle, too:  Last time through we mentioned “an early Pacific Northewest sound, like what you might expect from the Softies, only on a more shoe-gaze tip with gentler dueling Excuse 17-style harmonies.” This time it’s Velocity Girl who keep surfacing amid the piano, guitars, extended pulsations, and ambient breaks and builds. They’re still not afraid to let things flow — a couple of the album’s seven tracks are above eight minutes, two are above five, and none dip below four and a half. See, for instance, opener “Lemonade.” It’s like a baroque “Crazy Town.”

Braids – “Lemonade”

Native Speaker is tentatively out 5/25 in Canada and Fall 2010 in the U.S. There’s no label just yet. For now, hear more at MySpace. Before too long they’re on the road:

05/21 – Montreal, QC @ Le Savoy #
05/22 – Boston, MA @ TT The Bear’s Place %
05/27 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
05/29 – Toronto, ON @ The Piston (PItter Patter)
05/30 – London, ON @ Forest City Gallery
05/31 – Guelph, ON @ Ed Video
06/01 – Sudbury, ON @ Millard’s Garage
06/03 – Winnipeg, MB @ Freud’s Bathhouse
06/04 – Regina, SK @ O’Hanlons Pub
06/05 – Edmonton, AB @ Castle Awesome $
06/06 – Calgary, AB @ Marquee Room $
06/08 – Medicine Hat, AB @ TBA $
06/09 – Lethbridge, AB @  TBA $
06/10 – Canmore, AB @ Canmore Hotel $
06/11 – Vancouver, BC @  Warehouse $
06/12 – Victoria, BC @ The Fifty Fifty $
06/13 – Victoria, BC @ Fan Club Music House Driveway $
06/14 – Kelowna, BC @ Blue Gator $
06/15 – Nelson, BC @ TBA $
06/18 – High Prairie, AB @ North Country Fair $
06/30-07/02 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island

# w/ Holly Miranda
% w/ Holly Miranda, Grooms
w/ Gobble Gobble