A Stable Reference

A Stable Reference is the second studio album by American post-rock band Labradford, released on May 23, 1995 by Kranky.[2]

A Stable Reference
Studio album by Labradford
Released	May 23, 1995
Studio	The American University (Washington, D.C.)
Genre	Post-rock[1]
Length	46:05
Label	Kranky
Labradford chronology
Prazision LP (1993) A Stable Reference (1995) Labradford (1996)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Reviewing A Stable Reference for AllMusic, Ned Raggett stated, "The biggest change on Reference has remained a near-constant ever since, namely, the removal of lyrics and vocal parts from almost all tracks, outside of some extremely understated and intentionally buried in-the-mix-bits scattered throughout the record."[1] He also noted a greater focus on "mix complexity, with subtle yet important sonic elements and samples scattered throughout the songs", concluding that "in the end, Reference already points to the increasingly more challenging albums in Labradford's near future."[1] Deborah Sprague of Trouser Press wrote that the band's "penchant for psychic drift still exists... but Labradford's paths seem a little more clear-cut the second time around".[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Carter Brown, Robert Donne and Mark Nelson.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Mas"	4:32
2.	"El Lago"	5:29
3.	"Streamlining"	4:44
4.	"Banco"	5:03
5.	"Eero"	6:50
6.	"Balanced on Its Own Flame"	4:02
7.	"Star City, Russia"	5:03
8.	"Comfort"	6:14
9.	"SEDR 77"	4:07

Personnel

Adapted from the A Stable Reference liner notes.[4]

Labradford Carter Brown – keyboards Robert Donne – bass guitar Mark Nelson – vocals, guitar

Production and additional personnel Rob Christiansen – recording, mixing

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
United States	1995	Kranky	CD, LP	krank 006
United Kingdom		Flying Nun		FN 329

References

1. Raggett, Ned. "A Stable Reference – Labradford". AllMusic. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
2. Moed, Andrea (August 1995). "Labradford: A Stable Reference". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 24. p. 28. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
3. Sprague, Deborah. "Labradford". Trouser Press. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
4. A Stable Reference (booklet). Labradford. Chicago, Illinois: Kranky. 1995.CS1 maint: others (link)

External links

• A Stable Reference at Discogs (list of releases)