Search - Plaid :: Double Figure

So far I'm impressed!!!

06/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Plaid to me have always come just a little shy of delivering the goods. I don't feel that they have ever really escaped from under the shadow of the Black Dog and the stellar Spanners album. But, being a devoted Warp Records junkie I bought Double Figure even though I wasn't blown away by their other stuff. WOW, it's good. It's definetely the best thing I've ever heard from them. It is light and playful at times, more dense and driving at others. There are surprises to be found at every turn. There are no cringe-inducing moments like there are on Not For Threes. The whole CD feels connected, unified. One of the criticisms of Plaid is that they tend to have too much filler material on their albums. That is not the case here. Even the connecting Tak tracks are interesting and sonically fresh. Plaid occupies a strange kind of middle ground in the Warp lineup. They don't push boundaries as much as Aphex Twin or Autechre, they aren't as musically adventurous and crazy as Squarepusher, nor are they as polished or lush as Boards of Canada. But Plaid's music has a kind of quirky magic to it, an unpredictability that never jolts you or brings you out of the music. They experiment with sound to make beautiful music, never just for the sake of experimenting. They have a sense of humor but it never gets in the way. This is music to get lost in."

A gorgeous and dreamy journey of musical perfection

bowery boy | seattle | 07/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's something about plaid that reminds me of david sylvian. maybe it's the guitar riffs they use, especially on 'ralome' from 'rest proof clockwork' or 'eyen' the opening track on 'double figure', their current release. but i digress, not all their stuff reminds me of david slyvian.With past releases, plaid smooshed many moods of electronica together on one CD. on 'not for threes' you had tracks with NIN guitar riffs melded with soothing melodies ('extork') next to icelandic vocalist tracks (lilith). on 'rest proof clockwork' you had eerie atmospheric tracks (dead sea) with bubbly, poppy electro tracks (dang spot) next to acid jazz-like grooves (shakbu). but on 'double figure' plaid goes for mellow melancholy pop-like tunes that are weirdly familiar. there's such a wonderful flow to this CD that you don't realize you've listened to 19 tracks (!!!!) 71 minutes later.'squance' is okay but not a very strong track. those appear later. each track gets stronger and better as the CD progresses.'assault on precinct zero' is a cover version of the theme music john carpenter wrote for his 1976 film 'assault on precinct 13' (an incredibly intense, mindblowing flick that needs to be seen. if you haven't seen it go out and rent it! NOW!!!). so if you've seen the movie and this track sounds strangely familiar to you, now you know why.'ooh be do': fuzzy bass beat, creepy synth orchestral melody from the right speaker, surreal electro melody from the left speaker and a lot of randomly scattered chimy keyboardish synth that slowly takes over (really! i'm trying to explain this brilliant track! it has to be heard!). this is one of the many moments of brilliance throughout this CD.'light rain' god! this track is so gorgeous and my favorite! a beautifully muted xylophone-like melody, a scratchy beat and weird crunchy synth squished together in a jell-o mold only to fade out into a nursery rhymish melody repeated, echoed and layered over itself with weird vocal samples. BEAUTIFUL!!!'twin home' is a subtly strong track. a repeated rhythm and echoing chimes. the beauty of this track creeps up on you and when it's over you realize how wonderful it was so you repeat it.'tak 4' is really cool but it's only 59 seconds long so why bother to describe it, just listen to it.'ti bom' is a really messed up jazzy jungle number. scattered synchopated jungle beats, sax blowing in a distorted way, prominent hi-hats and filtered piano lurch their way through this funky little avant garde modern dance track.'manyme' is a dreamy laidback close to 'double figure'. beautifully echoing yet incoherent vocals laid over a strumming bassline and weird synths that are like vocals themself. it's like laying in bed as sleep slowy falls over you.Overall this is by far the best, most mature plaid effort to date. all traces of black dog (which was evident in earlier releases) have been washed away leaving behind 'double figure'. gorgeous production, seamless transistions from track to track and a coherent yet strangely familar feel to the entire CD. If you're new to plaid, this is where you should start. it's plaid at their pinnacle. hopefully they'll remain in top form for years to come."

Diabolical Finesse

Dirk Hugo | Cape Town, South Africa | 06/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the myriad of contemporary "electronic" musicians, no one understands better than Plaid that there is just no substitute for substance. You won't find the world's wackiest effects or weirdest textures on this album, rather solid compositions with all the rhythmic zeal, harmonic depth and melodic fervour that you could ever hope for. This gives "Double Figure" an almost classical appeal and sets it well apart from it's contemporaries without sounding the least bit old-fashioned - Plaid have taken all the latest ideas from the techno and drum & bass genres and given them fresh appeal inside well conceived and steadily morphing song structures."