Fixed Context

Labradford | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 2, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kranky
• ASIN: B000058DWY
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #349,254 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Ah, Labradford: their reputation recedes them. Since their inception in Richmond, Virginia, in the early 1990s, this studious American trio has faithfully followed their muse into quieter sonic realms, dead set on paring down their hushed drone. The band's sixth album brings them crashing back to earth. Where its predecessor, 1999's E Luxo So, explored spaced-out cosmic dub soundscapes, this is the sound of Labradford returning from the outer planes and delving into windswept Americana. The opening, "Twenty," consists of 18 minutes of mournful digi-country: think of the Twin Peaks theme played while sitting in a rocking chair. The following three tracks bring Fixed::Context to a coma-inducing 37 minutes in length, at which point one is left with a nagging suspicion that nothing's actually happened. Which just indicates that Labradford are nearing a state of conceptual perfection where they're as quiet as they are magnificent. --Louis Pattison

Product Description

Sixth album from the Labradford trio, who have been defying explanation and expectations since 1993. The group has earned comparisons to Morricone, Gavin Bryars, Ry Cooder and Arvo Part. Wire magazine says 'their melancholy is enormously seductive'. 4 tracks recorded and mixed with Steve Albini. Standard jewel case. 2001 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Killing me softly..., June 13, 2001

By 

"rakola" (AUSTIN, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fixed Context (Audio CD)

I always seem to run across David Lynch references when it comes to Labradford, and I guess they're valid...I, however, keep coming back to Michael Mann and his icy-cold, cobalt blue scenes in stark, cautiously decorated white abstract homes containing glass blocks up the wazoo and an ocean view to die for...Labradford create mood music for those who spend their nights contemplating their immediate surroundings...the art on their walls, the person in bed next to them, the way candle light bounces on the ceiling when the candle is placed under an A/C vent...anything, really...Bastard 60's Nashville and surf guitar teamed with brainy electronic blips and waves makes a disturbing and hypnotic team...Opening with an 18 minute-plus piece takes guts, and requires patience...This band's music blooms...it doesn't happen in seconds...it's meant for a solitary listener...If you have the will power to digest this type of aggressively-lazy music, you can sit back and conjure up countless images in your mind to it...Labradford is not for the antsy...nor is it for those who like to read along with lyrics...there are none...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A better Festival Of Drifting, May 23, 2001

By 

Dirk Hugo (Cape Town, South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fixed Context (Audio CD)

Those who were disappointed with the rather aimless noodling on Labradford's previous "E Luxo So" album can take heart in the assurance that "fixed::context" is a more focused and considered offering, one which does not forsake the luxuriously amorphous drift that the band has cultivated over many years. Indeed, more attention is focused on longer term development than the absolute value of the music at any one time, and the only value in the moment lies in the resonance generated by notes and textures that appear to hang in mid air. Erik Satie would most certainly approve.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wide open spaces, April 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fixed Context (Audio CD)

Although it seems peculiar to see Labradford and Steve Albini on the same CD in any capacity, the aesthetic combination here has resulted in 4 songs that are distinctly different than what has come before. In short, Labradford has made another disc of beautiful music without repeating themselves. Any fan will find this a wholly worthwhile experience.