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.
