On their sophomore album, the Montreal-based trio Braids make a pared-down version of the art-rock sound that pervaded their lauded 2011 full-length, Native Speaker. Though Braids are indeed one band member fewer than they were in 2011, their compositions are also more distilled and minimal, with tracks coming across as tone poems with a visceral edge. Owing something to the lineage of Björk and Radiohead, Flourish // Perish is at its best on repeat listens, where the subtle changes in extended pieces like "Together" become more somatic and pronounced.