Electronic > Warp Electronic > P

Advantages: More mature than previous albums. Some magical moments.
Disadvantages: Some horrendous moments.

...LFO era for instance. Double Figures is, in my opinion, their best album. You could say that it retains the cheesiness of Not for Threes and Rest Proof Clockwork, but at the same time, expands their repertoire of sounds and textures. Most importantly, Ed and Andy stay true to their ideas, without entering the pompous and featureless territory of their latter work, the 2003 album by the name of Spokes (Warp Records). Double Figures has a running ...
...we overlook a few hiccups, Double Figures is Plaid's best album, and contains moments of pure magic. Ironically, it features some of their most accessible works, as well as some of their most experimental ones. This makes Double Figures a very interesting buy for I.D.M purists. * (Written by myself - no violation, no lifting, no breach of copyright) ... Read review

Advantages: Will blow you and your sound system away
Disadvantages: Some tracks can be very wierd

Firstly I would like to say a few things about reviewing music in general: reviewing music should not just be about listening to some tracks and coming up with an opinion - it should be an account of the whole experience from the album cover right through to the way it makes you feel. I will try to be as unbiased as possible, as I do like Plaid a lot! The Album Cover Before even listening to plaid, check out the album cover. I have the vinyl ...
...is a work of art. There is not a single work on the cover, inside or out, other than the artist and title in that brilliantly obscure font and the copyright notes on the back which take up less space than the barcode. Annoyingly there isn't a track listing on the back. Fortunately, I already know all the tracks well after hearing this music from other sources. The vinyls themselves have the track names on them in the same interesting font as the ... Read review

Advantages: Easy Listening. A Classic for I.D.M purists.
Disadvantages: Bland forms of electronica. Nothing new. Repetitive.

Rest Proof Clockwork was released in 1999, alongside it's companion Ep, the Plaid Peel Session. It is a nice little upbeat electronica album; not as well crafted as Double Figures, not as eccentric as Not for Threes... but still a nice oldschool I.D.M release. The album has a running time of 65 minutes approx. and this is spread out into 15 tracks. The cover art and inlay are by Kid Acne and the photography by Catherine Stevens. The album opens ...
...the strong moments available on Rest Proof Clockwork. Tearisci is another great interlude, clownesque and slippery, like a glass bell chorus. Dang Spot is deceptive; it starts off in a dreamlike tone and then propels itself into a pathetic low-end Casio keyboard hymn. Pino Pomo is an instrumental piece, very welcome indeed after the atrocious Dang Spot. It features non-electronic percussions by Rowan Oliver and double-bass by Max De Wardener. ... Read review

Advantages: A very unique Plaid release. Some brilliant moments.
Disadvantages: Some bland moments. Uninspired.

Not for Threes was Plaid's first "real" work, after 3 Eps and their 1991 debut album Mbuki Mvuki. It was released in 1997 by the infamous Warp Records. Plaid would latter release 2 other interesting works, Rest Proof Clockwork (1999) and Double Figures (2001), improving their musical skills. In my opinion, Plaid stand for the deep-rooted doctrines of electronica, very purist and clichéd. There is nothing wrong with that... It's just that I favour ...
...said, Not for Threes does contain some moments of magic, and could almost be considered as an equal to Plaid's best effort, Double Figures. Not for Threes has a total running time of 40 / 41 minutes approx. and contains 16 tracks. Abla Eedio, our opening track, sounds like a deep-jungle mix with big fat beats and down-to-earth stick-n-snare patterns. Nice, but far from the usual celestial drone work that Plaid are renown for. Kortisin is a little ... Read review

Advantages: 9 interesting tracks
Disadvantages: 26 horrendous tracks

...Clockwork (Warp Records, 1999). Trainer was released in 2000, between the Rest Proof Clockwork album and their best effort, Double Figures (Warp Records, 2001). It was to be a straightforward "collector's edition" type release, with those entire back catalogue tunes from the Balil, Atypic and Black Dog eras. A must have for Plaid fans. As far as Plaid fans are concerned, this album is their holy grail. As far as I'm concerned, it's an uncovered ...
...sounds rather weak, though. Trainer 2nd CD is disappointing. It contains 3 tracks out of 12 that are worth listening to. In total, out of the 2 CDs, there are only 9 tracks out of 26 that could be said to stand for some interesting early-Plaid material. If you want to listen to some good Plaid, you should check out their 1997 release, Not for Threes, and especially their 2001 album, Double Figures. On the other hand, if you are a Plaid fanatic, ... Read review