Tracing Back the Radiance
by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
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  1. AllMusic
    Jul 16, 2019
    90
    Though it's unlike anything he has attempted before, the ambitious sounds of Tracing Back the Radiance still bear the distinctive stamp of his artistry, one that feels restless, nostalgic, and quietly hopeful regardless of the form it takes.
  2. The Line of Best Fit
    Jul 16, 2019
    85
    It’d be easy for Tracing Back to follow down the paths of say, GAS, or the somber mirk of Kyle Bobby Dunn, but thoughtfully, Cantu-Ledesma never verges over that line even though he may hint at it. Instead, by staying in line, Tracing Back serves as one of this year’s most angelically-bright collections of ambient music.
  3. Pitchfork
    Jul 16, 2019
    80
    At a time when some ambient music can feel like it’s drafted solely for inclusion on a “chill” playlist to anesthetize the overworked, Cantu-Ledesma’s explorations have been steering towards deeper waters. On Tracing Back the Radiance, his most profound work to date, he finds them.
  5. Exclaim
    Jul 16, 2019
    80
    Somehow, the players have managed to escape our universe, and what they've brought back with them is both captivating and indescribably beautiful.

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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Thanaeros
    Feb 4, 2020
    9
    This is too short. The ambient flow of this miraculous work is captivating and ethereal while never being pretentious. There is just no ego.This is too short. The ambient flow of this miraculous work is captivating and ethereal while never being pretentious. There is just no ego. It is dissolution of self into a timeless stillness. I have never witnessed an musical composition that reaches this kind of depth of the ineffable. Lot's of musicians have tried and failed to dig to this depths in their ambient explorations. Perhaps Aphex Twin comes close with certain ambient tracks, or East Forest with it's melodic timeless compositions. But here there is true stillness, it's powerful, it's light. It is hovering in the void.

    This is amazing while accompanying a psilocybe psychedelic journey. Many times now I have had my deepest moments and strongest realizations while hovering in the space created by this album. My only regret is that it is too short. It should be at least 5 hours long. But maybe it is, time seems to slow down.    … Full Review »
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