Mere weeks after Autechre released SIGN, their first standard-length studio album in a decade, the duo issued PLUS, a companion effort bearing a similar cover design, this time with lush greens instead of flame-like orange shades. While SIGN was often far more textural than rhythmic, recalling more ambient-leaning Autechre works such as Amber and Quaristice, PLUS places a greater emphasis on steely beat constructions, and it generally feels colder, though not necessarily less human. "DekDre Scap B" opens the album with a series of splatters, stutters, and convulsions, yet close attention reveals that a nearly inaudibly faint pulse is barely holding it all together. "7FM ic" is a bit more chipper, and sounds like a fleet of alien spacecraft activating to a beat. On the album's longest track, "ecol4," the duo take 15 unhurried minutes to explore a spectrum of tones ranging from subterranean pipe clanging to starry glistening. Easily the album's standout, the alert "X4" starts out with rapidly drilling beats, eventually shaking off the abrasiveness but continuing to progress through constantly mutating sounds and maintaining its drive until it floats free at the very end. Just as SIGN hinted at a more playful, bubbly side with tracks like "F7" and "si00," "ii.pre esc" surrounds its nearly grime-sounding bass with a cluster of swirling laser synths, and "TM1 open" is a fizzy whirlwind of twinkling notes and acid squirts. PLUS seems to meander as much as its predecessor, but its greater focus on rhythm helps it appear to hold together more strongly, and rapt concentration reveals that these pieces are as intricate and thoughtfully crafted as the duo's best work. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi

1		DekDre Scap B
2		7FM ic
3		marhide
4		ecol4
5		lux 106 mod
6		X4
7		ii.pre esc
8		esle 0
9		TM1 open

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