{"id":18200,"date":"2014-10-07T12:33:46","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T12:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-plaids-plaids\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:24","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:24","slug":"album-review-plaids-plaids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-plaids-plaids\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Plaids – Plaids"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Channelling the history and aesthetic of more than 30 years of punk, Nottingham\u2019s Plaids r<\/strong>ecall they heyday of SST and Dsichord records and distill the sound into three minute punk\u2019n\u2019roll blasts.<\/p>\n

It is, however, something of a double-edged sword; on the one hand, a friend once joked while watching them that if he \u201cwanted to listen to Minor Threat, he\u2019d stay at home and listen to his record collection,\u201d while on the other, there\u2019s never any doubt behind their intensity and integrity.<\/p>\n

The challenge for Plaids<\/strong>, however, is ensuring they are relevant. To me, it always feels something of a cop out to rely on your fierce DIY ethics and an encyclopaedic knowledge of punk, hardcore and emo if you\u2019re playing to the choir, instead of trying to spread that understanding and knowledge. Indeed, when I think back to my days at university and watching bands like Parade of Enemies and Pilger \u2013 who embodied the same ideals \u2013 encouraging new people, or perhaps more “casual” listeners, into the fold was a constant challenge.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

So, all credit to Plaids<\/strong> for pushing out an album that broadens their appeal while remaining 100% faithful to their core appeal and philosophy.<\/p>\n

Intense yet accessible, the relentless pace and barked vocals is punctuated with moments of melody and hooks aplenty. Opener \u2018Nineteen\u2019<\/em>, a sub-two minute hit that epitomises all Plaids<\/strong> are about, has a wonderful moment of clarity that lasts less than 15 seconds but gets it claws in instantly. Elsewhere, the rifftastic \u2018Twenty One\u2019<\/em> tempers the pace somewhat, instead focusing on some rather excellent guitar work, while \u2018Twenty Six\u2019<\/em> recalls As Friends Rust at their rollicking best (indeed, the introductory riff is reminiscent of the Floridian hardcore mob’s \u2018Half Friend Town’)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Due to the relentless nature, however, at 12 songs long, it feels about two tracks too long. \u2018Twenty Three\u2019<\/em> adds little, while the measured \u2018Twenty Five\u2019<\/em>, despite the duelling vocal interplay, feels slightly self-indulgent. However, as we\u2019re talking the grand total of three minutes, it\u2019s a small complaint.<\/p>\n

Overall, Plaids<\/strong> have managed to navigate a difficult path remarkably well. \u2018Plaids\u2019 <\/em> is a record that embodies the band\u2019s ethos but is resolutely forward looking rather than simply a rehash or pastiche of an old sound. More interestingly, the element of post-rock that is beginning to creep into their sound ( \u2018Twenty Eight\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Thirty\u2019 <\/em> in particular) ensures the next chapter in Plaids<\/strong>\u2019 life should be very interesting indeed.<\/p>\n

4\/5<\/p>\n

‘Plaids’<\/em> by Plaids<\/strong> is out now on Barely Regal Records <\/strong>and Art for Blind<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Plaids<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Channelling the history and aesthetic of more than 30 years of punk, Nottingham\u2019s Plaids recall they heyday of SST and Dsichord records and distill the sound into three minute punk\u2019n\u2019roll blasts. It is, however, something of a double-edged sword; on the one hand, a friend once joked while watching them that if he \u201cwanted to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":18201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8181],"tags":[5879,7369,5924,5925,15022],"class_list":["post-18200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-post","tag-album-reviews","tag-art-for-blind","tag-barely-regal-records","tag-plaids","tag-rob-mair"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Plaids - Plaids - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Channelling the history and aesthetic of more than 30 years of punk, Nottingham\u2019s Plaids recall they heyday of SST and Dsichord records and distill the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Album Review: Plaids - 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