Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – Love Is A Stream

“Love Is A Stream” is an intriguing exercise in duality… As a member of San Francisco legends Tarentel and Type’s premier astral travellers The Alps, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma‘s latest album marks a journey into divergent threads – dream pop, shoegaze, drone, soundscaping and noise.

The primary impression one takes from the release is the effective blend of seemingly incongruous elements  – the noise components are grainy, booming and distorted layers. These are then paired and mixed with melodic and (in places) triumphant melodic vocal and drone parts. The dynamics occur when the two elements peak around each other; in places where they peak simultaneously the record hits great heights, and even in places where the threads unravel around each other there is still a sense of intent and character.

Another strong characteristic is the brash nature of the tracking – there is a scarcity of pensive and moody fade in and outs. Not on this watch – tracks commence with a boom, straight in without any preamble or exposition. The confidence of a storyteller able to throw you into the deep end without needing to spend precious time explaining the plot; trusting the listener to pick up the thread quickly without having to have it explained to them.

When more considered introductions do occur there’s still the sense that you’re being trusted to pick the thread up from the last scene, and when more jarring detail occurs you can refer back to previous instances as a touchstone.

Trying to reconcile the dual natures of the sound is confronting, but not in an unpleasant way – the challenge is half the reward. Similar to the way that 3D operates – the optic nerves are presented with two images out of sync, and forces the brain then to merge them, creating a more dimensional image.  In this instance the ears are forced to mesh the differing tonal qualities together to appreciate the recording as a whole.

Underneath the grit and growl are hidden guitar parts, synthesizer drones and even vocals provided by Lisa McGee, John Twells and Maxwell August Croy.

Twells also contributes further, in that limited copies of the vinyl release of the album also come with bonus 50 minute assembly of reworked outtakes in the guise of Xela, the Type head’s alter ego. Entitled “Love Is A Dream”, the reworks do actually take a more considered approach, with an emphasis on pulsing melody. Some parts from the originals that had fallen into the cracks are dusted off, polished and presented in an entirely complimentary light. This light presents love in a number of guises – as The Beginning, A Voice, An Echo, The End, and two parts of A Dream. The really satisfying part is that you sense that Xela genuinely “gets” the project and is able to shine a light on hidden parts of the original due to his appreciation of it.

“Love Is A Stream” is released November 9th on Type Records.

- Review by Alex Gibson for Fluid Radio

Love Is A Stream:

1. Stained Glass Body
2. Star Garden
3. Loving Love
4. Where I End & You Begin
5. Body Within Body
6. Where You End & I Begin
7. Orbiting Love
8. White Dwarf Butterfly
9. Womb Night
10. River Like Spine
11. Wild Moon? And Sea
12. Mirrors Death

Love Is A Dream:

Love Is The Beginning
Love Is A Voice
Love Is An Echo
Love Is A Dream (Part 1)
Love Is A Dream (Part 2)
Love Is The End

Available through Experimedia and Boomkat

www.typerecords.com
www.myspace.com/jcledesma
www.learnwithxela.wordpress.com