Labradford

All Music Guide:

Consisting of bassist Robert Donne, guitarist/vocalist Mark Nelson, and Carter Brown on keyboards, Labradford are an experimental ambient/post-rock group from Richmond, Virginia. Incorporating electronics as well as non-traditional arrangement and production techniques, the group's soundtrack-y, effects-heavy sonic landscapes operate in a vein closely allied with groups such as Experimental Audio Research, Flying Saucer Attack, and Gastr del Sol, and have earned the group high praise among a diverse variety of different audiences. The trio have released material through American indies Merge and Kranky, as well as the Kiwi rock label Flying Nun and Stereolab's Duophonic imprint. Though occasionally incorporating vocal and rhythmic elements, the group rely most often on the drone aesthetic, mixing looping guitar effects and long keyboard passages with snippets of barely-audible voice and assorted found objects on records like 1994's Prazision, 1995's Stable Reference, 1996's self-titled effort and 1997's Mi Media Naranja. 1999 brought the release of a new album, E Luxo So, as well as a tour with Godspeed You Black Emperor! and their Festival Of Drifting series, which also featured appearances from Pole, Matmos and Papa M. The ultra-minimal Fixed::Context followed two years later.

Wikipedia:

Labradford is a U.S. post-rock musical group from Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1991. They have released six full albums from 1993 to 2001. Though not officially disbanded, its members have since been active with separate projects.

Biography [edit]

Founded in 1991, Labradford consists of bassist Robert Donne, guitarist/vocalist Mark Nelson, and keyboardist Carter Brown. Their music style is experimental ambient and post-rock, although their first releases were much more related to dark drone rock.

After a début single in 1992, they were signed by Kranky Records (which has remained their home since) who issued their début album Prazision LP in 1993. The group's music mostly drifts on the guitar effects and the keyboard passages, with the vocals, when present, in the background.

In 1999, they started a tour with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and their Festival Of Drifting series, which featured appearances from Pole, Robin Guthrie, Matmos, Papa M, and Sigur Rós.

Though the group has not officially disbanded, they have not released another album since 2001's critically acclaimed Fixed::Context, and the band members have apparently moved away from their former base of Richmond, Virginia. Robert Donne has joined the slow-core group Spokane, and is currently joining Gregor Samsa for their European tour. Mark Nelson continues to release records on Kranky under the name Pan American.