Shoegazer, lush, melodic guitar, loops, and effects. Album of the year. Album of the decade. Best album since Loveless. I recently reviewed Xela’s remix version of this album (Twells lends vocals on 4 and 6 of this one) and spelled out why Cantu-Ledesma is a legend, but in case you missed that, he’s a local, influential noise/post/drone/ambient rocker with ties to Tarentel and Root Strata. Yeah, it’s noise but it’s also so strikingly beautiful that I got my mom to like it. This one’s for you, indie rock brigade. No FCCs.

*1. Celestial ascension up to the Pearly Gates. Kevin Shields is there to greet you. Brick is playing Badminton with Zoroaster. (5:28)
2. Melancholic synths against harsh, sharp guitar. Brief. (1:24)
*3. Gurgling, hypnotic, droning fuzz with ringing, effects-soaked keys adding in a little melody. (4:49)
4. Gradual, slow ambient (as in background, outdoor) noise loops into itself, erupting into melodic, sustained guitar wash. (3:15)
5. Understated, subtly looping melody, distant, fragile. (2:28)
*6. Thunderous electro noise beginning gives way to airy, swirly loops of guitar, drowning vocals, and waves of bliss. (5:14)
7. Thicker, jagged guitar texture and looped synth. (1:05)
*8. Texture-heavy, lush layers of looped guitars, spindly little synth patterns barely perceivable. Weightless floating. I wish this would go on forever. (5:21)
9. Drifting ambient loveliness. (1:05)
*10. Less assaulting in its distortion; goes through a looped bridge and then comes back to the initial soundscape of beauty and makes me want to roll around on the ground. (4:53)
11. Reverbed, echoey guitar ambience is slowly enveloped by washes of synths and electronic arpeggi. (5:00)
12. Restrained, ominous, electronic squibbles and noodling, subdued ambient drone loop. (4:39)