labradford: prazision

To coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original release, we are issuing Kranky katalog #001 on vinyl for the first time since 1993, newly remastered and with new artwork. The debut album from Labradford, as well as the premier Kranky release, was originally issued in late 1993 to a surprising amount of acclaim as well as a fair bit of confusion. What was one to make of these beatless atmospheres cum pop songs that had little to do with contemporary 'indierock? ' The album was typically lumped into such newly minted sub-genres such as 'lo-fi ' and 'post-rock ' even though there was no connection to any such imagined scenes. Lo-fi? You can hear Mark Nelson breathe between vocal lines. Must be the lack of cymbals and hi-hat that accounts for that fallacy. Post-rock? Did that catch-all phrase for disparate musical groups and sounds even imply anything concrete or encompassing? Alas, just another label that quickly became meaningless. What is clearly evident upon listening to the album anew is that this is not a dated or stale work by any means. It could just as likely have been recorded in 2003, or 1983 for that matter, as in 1993. It does not contain any of the markers so typical of pop music that would place it in any time frame, no production touches or instrumental sounds that would identify it as being the product of a specific period. At the very least, Labradford created a timeless work, one that still challenges the listener today. More to the point, they created a masterwork.