Labradford
E Luxo So
[Kranky]
Rating: 5.3
I like to consider myself a connoisseur of the chill- out experience. A
couple of Bud Lights, something to read, and a stack of drone music records
and I'm fine. But while I'm down with the ambient shit, I've finally
admitted to myself that I'm not down with Labradford. Plenty of people--
good people-- drool over what these guys have going on. They speak of the
subtle beauty of the recordings, the majestic instrumentation, and the
beautiful structure of the songs. But the bulk of their output to this
point has bored me, and I'm sorry to report that E Luxo So is no
different.
In theory, E Luxo So sounds like an interesting exercise in musical
restraint. As a whole, it's even more subdued than its far- from- manic
predecessors. There's no shift in dynamic range on the record, and there's
never either an abundance or lack of "space." Vocals, which have always been
spare, have been jettisoned altogether. Subtlety is not only the name of the
game on E Luxo So, it's the name of the planet the game is played on.
But while there's certainly something to be said for quiet restraint, it
can't be defended when the music becomes boring, and that's what happens
here.
It's interesting-- Labradford's music is often described as "cinematic,"
and I think that's true if you define "cinematic" as "music best appreciated
with images." I can see the songs on E Luxo So playing behind some
indie film set in the desert outside Tucson, AZ. It would set a certain dry
mood for the spare drama. But when I think of cinematic music, I think of DJ
Shadow, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, and a host of others whose music is
rich and complex enough to conjure images, and not just make you wish
for them.
The majority of E Luxo So's songs consist of variations on western-
sounding guitar, spare piano, strings, and the occasional treated electronic
flourish, but it just doesn't add up to much. It soothes but never challenges.
It's subtly complex but ultimately not rewarding. That said, the beautiful
gospel- tinged "Dulcimers Played by Peter Neff, Strings Played" certainly adds
up to something, and the treated distortion added to "By Chris Johnston,
Craig Markva, Jamie Evans" (the song- title- as- album- credits gimmick
is a little painful, of course) sounds interesting surrounded by more
conventional instrumentation. But all told, there are other people making
music in this vein, and doing a better job of it.
-Mark Richard-San