Labradford is a post-rock musical group from Richmond, Virginia, United Sta… Read Full Bio ↴Labradford is a post-rock musical group from Richmond, Virginia, United States, founded in 1992. They have released six full-length albums from 1993 to 2001. Though not officially disbanded, its members have since been active with separate projects.

Labradford consists of bassist Robert Donne, guitarist/vocalist Mark Nelson, and Carter Brown on keyboards. Their music style is ambient post-rock, although their earlier releases such as "Prazision" and "A Stable Reference" were much more related to drone rock.

In 1993 they released their debut album on Kranky which has remained their home since. The group's music mostly drifts on the guitar effects and the keyboard passages, with the vocals, when present, in the background.

In 1999 they started a tour with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and their Festival of Drifting series, which featured appearances from Pole, Matmos, Papa M and Sigur Rós.

Though the group has not officially disbanded, they have not released another album since 2001's critically acclaimed Fixed::Context, and the band members have apparently moved away from their former base of Richmond, Virginia. Robert Donne has joined the slowcore group Spokane. Mark Nelson continues to release records on Kranky under the name Pan•American.

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Accelerating On a Smoother Road
Labradford Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

cozy with the thought
that no matter how hard i try
i can never recapture
what my heart remembers as pure--
just like the lot
that got turned into a bar;
and every time i go,
all i notice is how

the grass won't grow.

i saw you walk by a window;
i went out on the sidewalk and watched you go.

days are few when i don't wonder
what happened to you.
sometimes i see
a picture of you wondering about me;
on good days, this makes me think
that there's always a link.
and on bad days, i'm fooling myself.
and on bad days, i'm kicking myself.

i saw you walk by a window;
i went out on the sidewalk and watched you go.

freeze time, it takes me back
freeze time and i'm climbin' back

freeze time and take me back
freeze time and take me back

Overall Meaning

The song's title, "Accelerating on a Smoother Road," sets the tone for the theme of nostalgia and longing for the past that permeates the lyrics. The opening verse introduces the idea that memories of the past can never be recaptured in the present, no matter how hard the singer tries. This concept is illustrated by the mention of a lot that has since been turned into a bar, and the noticeable absence of growth on the grass that once covered the lot. These images suggest that the singer's attempts to revisit and revive their memories of the past may be futile.

The following verse suggests that the singer has lost touch with someone from their past, and they spend days wondering what happened to this individual. They admit that on good days they imagine that there is still a connection between them, but on bad days they blame themselves and feel foolish for thinking that such a connection exists. The repeated line "I saw you walk by a window; I went out on the sidewalk and watched you go" conveys the pain of watching someone they once knew move on without them.

The final lines of the song are a plea to "freeze time" and take the singer back to a happier moment in the past. The repetition of this phrase underlines the singer's desperation to escape the present and find solace in the past. Overall, the song portrays a sense of loss and longing for something that can never be recaptured.

Line by Line Meaning

cozy with the thought
Comfortable with the idea

that no matter how hard i try
Despite my best efforts

i can never recapture
I will never again experience

what my heart remembers as pure--
The pure feeling my heart once had

just like the lot
Similar to the empty lot

that got turned into a bar;
Which was transformed into a bar

and every time i go,
Whenever I visit

all i notice is how
I see only that

the grass won't grow.
The grass doesn't grow there anymore

i saw you walk by a window;
I caught a glimpse of you by a window

i went out on the sidewalk and watched you go.
I followed you from the sidewalk as you walked away