A few nights ago, a rather intoxicated friend and I sat in the booth at a favorite all-night eatery and had a frank and honest discussion of Braid. Though he was quite dazed, this friend helped me realize something about the band -- namely, that the "legend" of Braid will be around long after interest in their actual musical output has waned. The simple fact that they were Braid will be enough to keep the flame burning. We also concluded that whether they like it or not Braid have become the seminal emo rock band.

This may seem to be a strange revelation, especially seeing as it was conceived over hash browns and toast, but when you really think about it, it's true. Braid kicked open a whole new door, and eventually a whole generation of guitar-based bands followed them through it. Lately it seems cool for smarmy indie pricks to dismiss the band's accomplishments and prolific nature, as well as to downplay their importance to the genre we now know as emo. That annoys me almost as much as aloof listeners' negative reactions to bands like Slint.

Now that I've hopped off my soapbox, I'll give you some insight into what Movie Music Vol. 2 is all about. MM Vol. 2 is a collection of all of Braid's compilation and cover material. Of the two volumes, this is the one that will leave hardcore fans with their mouths agape, as many of the compilations that the tracks are culled from are long out-of-print and were very limited run items in the first place. It's quite possible, therefore, that many tracks on Movie Music Vol. 2 are new to even the most devoted of Braidophiles.

The biggest problem, then, is that Braid, like many bands, tended to contribute their weaker songs to these comps. Songs like "Do You Love Coffee?" and "Jimmy Go Swimmer" tend to wallow in murky guitars and plodding rhythms that never seem to go where the band intends them to.

What makes Movie Music Vol. 2 shine is Braid's choice of covers.. Few bands could pull off a cover of Bosom Buddies theme "My Life" (Which some older folks might think of as a Billy Joel song -- Ed.), let alone leave their own indelible mark upon it. Other triumphant covers include a buzzing rawk version of Bacharach's "Always Something There to Remind Me" and a muscular reworking of the Pixies' "Trompe Le Monde."

Though less essential than the first volume, Movie Music Vol. 2 is further proof of Braid's importance to the world of all things emo, as well as their allegiance to their fans. Even if their music fades away, nobody will ever forget the sheer force of Braid -- and what that force meant to legions of musicians and fans alike.