Have
Plaid lost it, or are they still well above the rest?
Have they released anything good at all since the split
with Ken Downie? Reading at the comments posted on the
Warp message board, these are matters that divide the
electronic population. We have no intention to settle
the argument, however, it is certain that things have
considerably changed on the Plaid front since the early
days, as Trainer
reminded everyone last year. Ed Handley and Andy Turner
have recoding under a handful of pseudonyms to concentrate
on Plaid, for the time being at least, and they are
easier about talking to the media. So, the question
remains… Is Double Figure really worth it?
Double Figure, branded by the band, as a form
of joke, is the last in the reverse trilogy started (closed?)
with Not
For Threes, and deals with the duality of the
ear. Whatever the concept, this album remains the most
accessible of the three. As much as Not
For Threes was colourful and chaotic, and Restproof
Clockwork was peaceful and dark, Double Figure
is light-hearted and almost pop, with waves of melancholy
crashing onto the rocks of happiness at regular intervals.
It is quite ironic then that this album actually seems
to take longer to get into than its predecessors. Double
Figure reveals itself slowly, and requires a more
interactive listening, as the tracks often works on many
levels. Once again, Plaid have brought on board of bunch
of collaborators, including Bennet and Mara, who already
featured on the previous two albums. However, this time
round, they appear very much more in the background than
previously. Double Figure is a rounder, more
homogenous record, as Ed and Andy present here a more
mature, more focussed sound. Their melodies are more serene
(Eyen, Zamami, Sincetta), and
straightforward (Squance, New Family).
But their constructions remain tightly held together,
formed around eclectic beat patterns and sound sources.
As tricky as the music produced by Plaid gets, the duo
manages more than ever to make it sound simple and pleasant
with this new album. With tracks rarely going over the
five minutes mark, and clear melodic lines, are almost
the complete antithesis of bands such as Autechre,
and have inspired as much artists and generated as much
interest. Double Figure, if not their best work
to date, remains captivating and genuinely creative.
4/5 |
