finetune artist: Labradford

Formed by Carter Brown (keyboards) and Mark Nelson (b. 29 August 1965, Berlin, Germany; guitar/vocals), Richmond, Virginia, USA-based Labradford have established themselves as vital innovators in the influential post-rock music scene. The duo made an immediate impact with their 1993 debut, Prazision LP. Informed by Brown's studies into early and medieval music, it offered listeners an entirely new take on conventional music semantics, in keeping with their stated intention to "move beyond pop". Many critics were enraptured by the band's ability to balance improvised ambient, almost ecclesiastical textures with more accessible passages. The claustrophobic nature of several songs, "Accelerating On A Smoother Road" in particular, recalled the dense atmospherics of Joy Division. Bass player Robert Donne was added to the line-up for A Stable Reference, which featured a spacey sound reminiscent of the work of fellow pioneers, Flying Saucer Attack. Subsequent albums, recorded with an extended line-up, have become successively more experimental and minimal, with Mi Media Naranja reducing song titles down to bare initials ("S", "G", "WR", etc.). The sonic landscapes on E Luxo So, meanwhile, were created without the use of any vocals. Nelson also records more electronica-orientated material as Pan American.

Listen to Labradford at Finetune.

(1999) E Luxo So
(1997) Mi Media Naranja
(1996) Labradford
(1995) A Stable Reference
(1993) Prazision

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Gratitude