Vancouver’s Stephen Hummel (a.k.a. SubtractiveLAD) crafts dreamlike ambient pieces that often come dangerously close to sentimentality. Thankfully, Life at the End of the World wisely seasons in tension and just the right amount of desolation to lock the ear. “Ne Plus Ultra” and “Nautilus” slowly exhale clouds of hymnal drones and delicate guitarwork into pristine music for heartbroken reflection. Likewise, “Once the Stars Have Been Washed from the Sky” weaves a rich, sprawling mass of guitar distortion. Life‘s catch is that Hummel sticks with the same emotional tone so much that the music grows monotonous after a while, not that the half-asleep listener would notice or care.