Anyone know what LABRADFORD is up to?

Yes, that's the one. a bit boring I thought

no.

yes

no

yes

no

yes

duh, I mean no

haha

poll?

It's slow, contemplative music. There are no pyrotechnics and leather-pants. Perhaps boring for some tastes, but in my book Labradford-- particularly on their last 3 albums-- is among the most interesting and affecting bands I've ever heard.

Well upthread I was just saying how I found E Luxo So pretty boring as compared say to Mi Media Naranja.

Fixed: Content: The Cat's Pajamas

Quiet City on a grey october sunday afternoon

E Luxo So is a good album imho

That it is. Might play it here myself (it's a grey October Sunday morning).

nice

Fixed:Context > Mi Media Naranja > E Luxo So > the self-titled with the white cover > the earlier two albums

that's almost exactly backwards, by my lights.

i agree

I'm biased towards E Luxo So because we toured with them on that album so I heard it every night for a few weeks.

I think Fixed:Content takes it for me as well. 'Twenty' is such a phenomenal piece. E Luxo So and Mi Media Naranja aren't far behind though.

It's "Fixed::Context" ffs! I'd have thought Labradford fans would be quite, hmm, precise.

I used to listen to these guys a lot. I noticed that Prazision, their first album, was re-released a while back, but I didn't bother picking it up. Perhaps worth getting after all? I only have their last 4 albums -- missing the first 2.

And, both tracks from Labradford's first 7" are included in the re-issue.

So what are these fellows up to now anyway?

pan american

count me in as someone who prefers the first two, Prazision is great.

yeah the first two are where it's at for me also. couldn't get into the stuff after that

The last three are great and would serve perfectly as soundtracks for David Lynch movies.

It is snowing here now and E Luxo So is the perfect soundtrack to it.

are these guys' new bands any good?

what are they? what happened to the bradford?

We got this

http://www.wonderingsound.com/news/anjou-labradford-reunion-new-album-kranky/

Hooooooooooooooray. This is terrific news.

so the "single" sounds very good. Didn't realize I'd been missing these guys. Might be time for me to pick up 'Fixed:Content'

I was shocked that there was going to be a reunion, until i realized it's not quite a reunion. :(

Fixed:Context is phenomenal, you gotta get that.

Yeah, two out of three with a different name is no reunion. Still: close enough!

The new track does not sound like Labradford much. Sounds more like Pan-American or Stars of the Lid.

Yeah not only is it not a reunion, but the same three guys made the last Pan American album, Cloud Room, Glass Room. I'm still excited for it.

Anyone who loves Labradford but hasn't kept up with Pan American is missing some really nice albums, btw: Quiet City and White Bird Release are both very Labradford-esque.

I was going to say! Don't sleep on those.

my recollection is that the Pan-American stuff is a lot more ambient and doesn't have that Lynchian/Duane Eddy-esque guitar reverb guitar thing going on. Is that right?

Yeah, dubbier, too.

Listening to Cloud Room for the first time right now and loving it.

Pan American and 360 Business/360 Bypass - dubby ambient
The River Made No Sound - less dubby, more like minimal electronic
Quiet City and White Bird Release - traditional instruments have a much bigger presence. Not really electronic records at all.
For Waiting, For Chasing - sort of in between River and White Bird - more ambient, but Stephen Hess is there with percussion on a lot of it.

I wrote about all of these records, and all of Labradford's records, and a bunch of other Kranky records - you can see the archive by artist here. Cloud Room, Glass Room is the only one I haven't got to yet.

Yeah, read pgwp's work on Kranky, it's been stellar.

MEANTIME

I have a promo of this Anjou release via official sources and I will say no more beyond noting it's a real beauty.

Just remembered that Donne did the soundtrack of an indie film last year called Hide Your Smiling Faces that was pretty excellent. The soundtrack, that is. The movie had some issues.

On a lark I made a Labradford primer playlist - though I suppose anyone in this thread already knows.

I will appreciate this playlist, thank you

S/T came on shuffle for me yesterday. I love that record. So spooky and beautiful. Mid-Range is amazing.

Just got into Labradford a few months ago. I didn't really click with the first couple of albums but the self titled onwards is a great run of albums. E Luxo So is probably my current favourite but it keeps changing. Seems like my timing was pretty good getting into them.

Well I’m lukewarm on the new Pan American. Lots of guitar, lots of vocals—maybe if you really miss the earliest Labradford albums you will find something to enjoy here. Pan American was feeling almost like a band for a while—I guess that’s sorta what morphed into Anjou. This new album is a return to a solo/side project feel, to my ears.

The last Anjou album was beautiful

I love Labradford but have never connected with any of Mark's solo work. Dunno why

I was listening to "A Stable Reference" on headphones the other day, and noticed for the first time (as far as I remember) the stereo bouncing of quiet cricket chirps from channel to channel.

Paul, I said it up thread more than once but give Quiet City a try, if you haven’t before.

I will! I've lost track of him these past few years but I'm usually open to hearing anything from any of these guys. I think what I never really dug in Pan Am's music was the aspirations to 'dub,'which I never found very convincing

He left the dub vibe behind after the second album.

The last one I heard was either The River Made No Sound or that split CD with Frank Bretschneider

This is really nice! The whole album with the accompanying film is up on Youtube. "Het Volk" is almost ECM-y (but maybe it's the horns). Enjoying this much more than any of the stuff I'd heard previously (which, tbf, was many years ago). Thanks!

Yeah Het Volk and Lights of Little Towns are both so lovely. Glad you like it!

Seeing Pan*American this Saturday at the International Museum of Surgical Science!

Show was super cool, Mark Nelson is great at looping stuff. It did get a bit distracting that by the end most people were sitting on the floor. That, and the two dudes front and center absolutely tripping balls. One guy looked kind of like a chill hiker or tacky-sacker or something. He kept staring at his hands or pawing at or petting his pal, who was this giant bearded hulk of a man who largely remained absolutely still. Basically looked like a wiggly Han Solo and Chewbacca. Anyway, I was impressed that despite it all they still largely respected personal space, to the best of their abilities. The smaller guy even made a couple of trips to the bar for wine, which ... is maybe not the choice I would have made. But he didn't spill it, said excuse me, smiled at people, and yeah, the person next to him had to scoot a bit when he finally, awkwardly sat down, but it's not like he was rolling around.

Anyway, the show was a beaut. Nelson switched between guitar, lap steel and dulcimer, each dripping with echo and other effects. The austere setting only added to the effect.

Sorry to raise hopes of a new release/freak people out because of an early death but...

Things I was old when I realised: this lot (I assume) are named after a basketball player.

Now this is some greatness

Who’s the coolest band/artist you’ve seen at a wedding? I ask because I know I’m gonna win: Labradford.

— Marc Masters (@Marcissist) February 26, 2021

It was in Virginia in the early 90s in a church, they set up in a balcony and played ambient drone as people settled into seats, before the traditional procession music. It got REALLY loud near the end. The groom had grown up with and played in bands with them.

— Marc Masters (@Marcissist) February 26, 2021

YSI?

WOw.

New Pan*American inbound:

https://panamerican.bandcamp.com/album/the-patience-fader

New Pan*American album is out today. Liking this more than the last one so far.

As PA albums go this one is more on the guitar-based side of the fence, not so much electronic elements.