Product Details

* Audio CD (October 13, 1998)
* Original Release Date: October 26, 1998
* Number of Discs: 1
* Label: Nothing Records
* Catalog Number: 90277
* ASIN: B00000F1EL
* Average Customer Review: based on 29 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,213 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #71,765 in Music

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1. abla eedio Listen Listen
2. kortisin Listen Listen
3. headspin Listen Listen
4. myopia Listen Listen
5. lat Listen Listen
6. extork Listen Listen
7. prague radio
8. fer Listen Listen
9. ladyburst Listen Listen
10. rakimou Listen Listen
11. seph Listen Listen
12. lilith Listen Listen
13. forever Listen Listen
14. getting Listen Listen
15. milh
16. undoneson Listen Listen
17. spudink
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Seven years after their last release, former Black Dog members Ed Handly and Andy Turner finally get around to putting out a second album. The duo's polyrhythmic soundtracks are now embellished with live instruments and the lush voices of techno divas like Nicolette ("Extork") and Mara Carlyle ("Rakimou"). Plaid manage to hang on to the sparse intensity of Black Dog even with the new frills, only now the songs offer much more in terms of listening experience. Particularly noteworthy is the quietly detailed collaboration with Björk on the jazzy and warm "Lilith." Clearly worth the wait. --Aidin Vaziri
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Customer Reviews
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
A Superb Place to Start....if your New to "Plaid", February 16, 2005
Reviewer: fetish_2000 (U.K.) - See all my reviews
Plaid have had a celebrated past with electronica, having long since not only been part of a (then) fledgling 'Warp' label. but this release, An album, before they made the jump to the Warp Label, is nothing, if not a consistently re-firmation that Plaid have been consistently making superb albums for sometime now, that are an amalgamation of: trip-hop, electro-techno, IDM, Experimental and ambient electronic, that remain tightly woven across the tracks on their albums and retain a cerebral yet hypnotic sound, that is remarkably unique to them, and all the more surprising that this album still stands up brilliantly today, as it did, when released back in 1998.

The album opens with "Abla Eedio", that is a energetic piece of experimental electronica, fused with the ingenuity for melody and skittering beats that would later become someting for a trademark sound for Plaid. It even has a little of that 'Start' / 'Stop' dynamic with the sound, that is probably more associated with music based around 'Glitch', it's a wonderfully powerful statement of intent for the album and proves to be a very strong opening track. More incredibly "Myopia" is electronica, by way of a pairing with a Caribbean/Calypso melody, that seems like it's been lifted directly from a tropical fruit drink advert, with the subtle twinkling Melody coupled with the Caribbean vibe and the sampling of some superb steel drums , this is a reasonably different departure in sound from the rest of the albums more hypnotic & freewheeling sound, and yet doesn't feel completely out of place, such is Plaid's ability to make albums that are varied in sound, but remain complete in structure.

Anyone familiar with Plaid's remix of "Nicolette's - No Government" will be in similar territory here, with the harsh, and stunningly abrasive "Extork" with the direction of the music taking a surprisingly Utopian & ambitious approach with driving stark beats, persistent bass effects, on a tune, that harks back to the sound of someone like 'Aphex Twin' at some of his more Acerbic. This is one of only a handful of vocals tracks on the albums, but the restrained use of vocals on those tracks is impressive, as Plaid give more emphasis to fractured sound, and Clinical rhythmic beats and solid bass lines, than being reliant on vocalists, to carry the tracks.

The move to a more industrial sound is largely complete with the excellent "Fer", with it's brooding metallic sounds, and galvanising beats, its spare on the percussion side of things and instead focuses on Lo-Fi Bass, and uplifting synths balancing out a very detached and nocturnal arrangement, almost intrusive series of rhythms, that although minimal in their construction are nonetheless significant in this track, that feels similar to the work of early "Autechre", as it remains stripped back to it most basic levels, yet strangely hypnotic and paranoid, and just as reliant on crisp drum-machine patterns to produce something more recognisable by ambient-techno, than electronica.

If your new to Plaid's distinctive brand of electronica, you really couldn't find a better place to start than this album. It combines everything that is so superb about Plaid. A remarkable album in that is not only is melodic and beautifully arranged, but shows a high level of ingenuity and diversity, that makes this such a delight to listen to, and shows that not only do that have a keen ear for sound, but also know how to fully expolit that sound for the benefit of the recordings, that sits on the more comfortable end of intelligent electronic music, and the fact that even today, that the tracks all stand up more than admirably and remain as enjoyable listenable as they did back on its initial release, highly recommended.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
a genre unto themselves, December 12, 2004
Reviewer: Miles A. Maxwell "toadstool" (US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
it gets to me when people say that plaid isn't as good as autechre. they're two entirely different styles of music. And from what i've heard (tri repetae by autechre and every plaid cd) i can easily say i like plaid more. from what i've heard of autechre you can hear the link between them and electronica, you can see how it branches out. plaid has nothing leading to it. it's this whole new thing, especially on this album. eclectic and groundbreaking, this and restproof clockwork show the potential that electronic music truly has.