Well, they’re back in the saddle. Plaid have a long and respectable history in the electronic music scene. When so-called IDM (intelligent dance music: yeesh) became a genre in the 1990’s, Ed Handley and Andy Turner were two thirds of a collective known as Black Dog, and they became a cornerstone of the Warp roster. The final work before the split was Spanners, a sprawling, imaginative record that showed a balance of skill, imagination, and the talent to hold it all together.
(Ken Downie still records excellent music under the Black Dog moniker.)
As Plaid, they made two exemplary records, the second of which featured a stunning collaboration with Bjork. Double Figure followed in 2001, showing a more disciplined and focused approach. Despite critics generally writing it off, it’s one of my favorites. Their hallmark exuberance, baroque rhythms, and creative harmonic technique were all in top form, even if it was considered a bit austere and “dark.” Continued...