Plaid
Peel Sessions
(Warp)
Plaid are a squirrely bunch and although this release only offers up four tracks and under 20 minutes of music, that fact is readily apparent. Just in case you haven't gotten enough of the group with Not For Threes, Rest Proof Clockwork, or their more recent 2CD rarities offering called Trainer, this release should offer a short, but satisfying fix. Continuing along the lines of Warps low-cost, minimal packaging series, Plaid is another worthy group of the honor.
The release starts out with the very playful "Scoobs" single (probably one of the most radio-friendly tracks in the groups arsenal) that clocks in at just over three and a half minutes and after a burst of horns at the beginning, the track somehow mixes a touch of samba and spacey electronics into a tight little track that's the epitomy of the groups quirky, fun sound. From there, the group goes into the layered chimes and blurps of "Eph" before adding a hiccuping beat to it and shuffling along for a couple minutes.
Next to "Scoobs," probably the highlight of the album is the similarly-goofy titled "Bo Bootch." Making use of a big batch of the groups almost trademark squiggely sounds, the track grooves along with a mutated hip-hop beat gone bad and piles on some pretty little melodies and all kinds of other strange sounds. The release closes out on sort of a strange note for the group with the semi-banging "Cold." Instead of noodling with your head, it sounds more like something that would pound the dancefloor with precision and although it's well-constructed, it feels a bit cold to be on a Plaid release.
Basically, this is another release for the hardcore Plaid fan. While the "Scoobs" and "Bo Bootch" tracks are big winners, they can both be found other places and the other tracks are nice but really don't add anything that's too exciting. If there were a couple more tracks or something, it might stand a little better on it's own. As it is, though, it's a filler piece for those who want everything by the group.
Rating: 6
