What makes a plaid melody sound plaid?

I'm pretty ignorant of music theory in general, but I'm often struck by how distinct plaid's melodies sound.

I figure that a lot of it has to do with the unconventional chord progression which does all sorts of cliffhanger and sour resolution work, but I feel like just their choice of notes in general is very indicative of their style.

A couple tracks that particularly embody this sound:

• Zeal
• Thank
• At last
• Unbank
• Hawkmoth
• Los
• Dancers
• Modenet

Is there a more specific way to describe their melodic tendencies in terms of music theory? 

no. no.  it's just the Plaidness that makes it sound Plaid

Wrong notes 

Snappy percussions and smooth melodies 

Gamelan. 

I can't add anything but to say that yes, Plaid has a certain je ne sais quoi with their sound. I have the same with anything Trent Reznor produces. I

  On 11/16/2022 at 9:27 PM, azatoth said:

Plaid has a certain je ne sais quoi with their sound

  On 11/16/2022 at 8:52 PM, ignatius said:

Plaidness that makes it sound Plaid

  On 11/16/2022 at 8:41 PM, thehauntingsoul said:

which does all sorts of cliffhanger and sour resolution work

I agree with all of that

I've had a quick look at some of them. Zeal is pretty much chromatic.

In At Last, they are in the key of Eb minor { Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db } for the first 3 chords, but on the 4th chord Cb becomes C (so apparently we're in the key of Bb minor).

Unbank is in E minor i.e. { E, F#, G, A, B, C, D }, so that one is more straightforward.

where’s whatshisface when you need him

When I think of a "Plaid" melody, I think of "Tender Hooks" immediately.

Meandering, labyrinthine, only partially resolved, sometimes implied. Something exotic and alien in the scales.

Then sometimes theyll do a massive obvious cheesefest like Dang Spot or Nightcrawler and it sounds just as good.

I wanna know how the fuck did they make E.M.R., aka their best melodic touches ever

My least fave of the features artists - just generally a bit "plinky plonky" for me if that makes sense. If anyone has a megamix of them I'd be happy to dive in to be be converted

plaid + plone = plain

  On 11/17/2022 at 9:31 PM, Key said:

Meandering, labyrinthine, only partially resolved, sometimes implied. Something exotic and alien in the scales.

Then sometimes theyll do a massive obvious cheesefest like Dang Spot or Nightcrawler and it sounds just as good.

I'm glad you get along with the cheesefests (I mean that genuinely!) but I just can't get along with most of those tracks. I don't understand their point in the albums, although I'm sure that's my issue. And this has nothing to do with elitism or anything, it's just that the actual magic of Plaid for this brain *is* those more fantastical, unpredictable (but still beautiful) harmonies and melodies. When they go straight it's just not that interesting sounding. And this is coming from someone who doesn't even need a melody at all! (if the rest of the tune has got enough cool noises / nice beats.)

  On 11/28/2022 at 10:37 AM, phudoshin said:

My least fave of the features artists - just generally a bit "plinky plonky" for me if that makes sense. If anyone has a megamix of them I'd be happy to dive in to be be converted

Roel Funcken did a pretty damn good Plaid mix, it’s 3 hours long and runs through a wide spectrum of their sounds. Hope you become a bigger fan!

https://on.soundcloud.com/NXkFDuvRbdkWFXZy6

a while ago i was astonished to find this

which is used in Tearisci (from Rest Proof Clockwork)

so maybe it's fair to say there is a strong Erik Satie influence?

Yeah, I thought there were more examples of them “borrowing” melodies from classical composers. I’m afraid I can’t name any at the moment. But it’s not the first time I was surprised how blatantly they lifted melodies from classical pieces. 
 

other than that, it’s also the types of sounds they’re using which make it typically plaid.

  On 2/10/2023 at 4:51 AM, Friendly Stranger said:

Roel Funcken did a pretty damn good Plaid mix, it’s 3 hours long and runs through a wide spectrum of their sounds. Hope you become a bigger fan!

https://on.soundcloud.com/NXkFDuvRbdkWFXZy6

cheers .. its going on the carousel 

plaid needs time and a couple of listens from start to finish 

Don't they have an omnichord? To me it always sounded like they were button-bashing chord progressions without really knowing what they were doing. You'd get the same effect from letting a five year old poke at the bass side of an accordion

  On 2/19/2023 at 4:01 AM, Walter Ostanek said:

Don't they have an omnichord? To me it always sounded like they were button-bashing chord progressions without really knowing what they were doing. You'd get the same effect from letting a five year old poke at the bass side of an accordion

Is "knowing what you're doing" in this case using chord progressions that are more commonly used, or that more people agree is the "right" progression? It's weird to me when anything outside their approach is seen as "random" by classically trained friends. I like Plaid's unpredictable chord progressions, and they hardly sound random. (I have also seen kids piss around on instruments, never sounds like Plaid. I understand you meant the omnichord specifically and were sort of using metaphor, but still very much doubt there'd be an even passing resemblance.) 

Bagpipes.

Modal interchange/borrowed chords, plinky plonky tuned pecussiony sounds, quite a lot of movement by leap.

imo one of the signature plaid techniques is how they build their melodies piece by piece. they sort of set a stage and then "stack" things up to the point where the melody eventually builds to full, lush impact. 

"wallet," sets up the basic premise for the first minute. the bass eventually grounds the movement of the melody, which enters in little pieces after the first minute. about 1:30 we get a little break, allowing the track to rebuild and introduce new sounds. the notes of the melody kind of dance around without form until around 2:45 when they finally start to lock in. about 3mins in their form is reinforced by these soft little pads that give the actual structure more emotional bed. they do kind of like a shimmering reverb or upper octave thing to give it the final seal.

"zeal" has a long af "fuckery" intro. then as soon as the drums kick in, we have the same thing as above: notes of the melody just kind of dance around while the bass sets the stage for the structure. after the 2min mark, the bass gets a new boost of momentum and starts locking in the chords which introduce the classic plaid "stacking" sound. the melody starts dancing in sync over this. very plaid, very plinky or whatever. after 3mins we get a little more syncopated fuckery while the bass continues in a more suggestive role and the song kind of dissolves without a final resolution.

"gel lab" (a personal favorite of mine). first minute is quintessential plaid plinky meandering. all the elements are introduced and they seem like they are going to just kind of vamp on this for the whole song. you got the bass, you got the electric piano sound, you got the shimmering/octave verb. it's all there. then around 1:30 we get the breakdown. drums start getting fuckerized. the song is now totally transformed and more energized. some nice pads keep the transition feeling coherent. they drop out and it little casiotone-type sound intimates the progession to come. little ep sounds start twinkling, suggesting the melody. then at 2:54 we get one of the most satisfying plaid chord progs. love this shit so much. the definition of lush. these pads and bass create the warm bed over which the melody twinkles above. the way they play it, it sounds like different keyboards playing together - interesting panning of individual notes. little bit of shimmer comes in to wash it all away. 

"spudink" (the best plaid song. 11/10. untouchable shit). intro pads intimate the climax to come later in the song. bass comes in, honestly the bass is the melody in this song too. plinky, arpeggios around 1:30 (they love this mark for transitions) and they do the classic plaid thing, sparkling and shimmering but they feel very rooted to the bass and don't loosen from that structure in the normal way. 2:26 the notes stack into the first chord of the absolutely lushest pads you will ever hear. the bass comes in and you really hear how it's like a melody now. the pad beds are pure cum. then 3:12 the signature plinky shimmering melody comes in a higher register, then doubled in the earlier lower one. now we're really soaring. everything is stacked perfectly. 3:44 reveals what was hinted at in the intro. you've orgasmed several times. 

you can even hear some of this in the earliest works. like "whirling of spirits," where the melody is introduced as the percussion stacks up one sound at a time. then there's the long stretch where the melody breaks apart and kind of meanders, not ever locking into the full satisfying structure. then by the end all the elements have locked in and the melody is stacked into full power. 

i'm just a dumbass or whatever but to me, this kind of note by note meandering, then locking into the stacked up bass, chord bed, multiple voicing/shimmering melody thing, is what makes plaid so unique.