As IDM veterans Andy Turner and Ed Handley churn out their tenth album under the name Plaid, it marks a 25-year union for the duo and almost two decades under the ever-growing arms of Warp Records. The album itself has all of Plaid's signature moves — quirky beats, nostalgic rhythms, that curious impish quality that they always seem to weave into the mix — which is actually what ends up being a pitfall for the release. Reachy Prints' main problem, and inherently Plaid's too, is one of predictability. On paper this is a solid album, and Plaid have pushed all the right buttons, but they've pushed those same buttons many times before.
Asking a group to be pioneers in a genre while managing to retain their trademark style and still dazzle after a quarter of a century is perhaps too much; all we should really expect from Plaid is an album that's interesting and contains a few memorable tracks, which they've delivered. The glitch squelches and soft keys of "Wallet" are instantly likeable, while album highlight "Tether" is just vintage Plaid: weird and beautifully layered.
(Warp)Asking a group to be pioneers in a genre while managing to retain their trademark style and still dazzle after a quarter of a century is perhaps too much; all we should really expect from Plaid is an album that's interesting and contains a few memorable tracks, which they've delivered. The glitch squelches and soft keys of "Wallet" are instantly likeable, while album highlight "Tether" is just vintage Plaid: weird and beautifully layered.
