This Loves Last Time is one of the more charming releases of 2009 — and rightfully so. This may be the debut release for Bell Horses, but the experience runs deep for Xian Hawkins as he has done much work with labels like 4AD, Ghostly, and Temporary Residence.

And with that, it is no surprise that what you get on This Loves Last Time is a ghostly ethereal ride through the floral gardens at night and a mystical rendezvous in quaint openings of lush forestry. Strings shutter and strum through the opener “Still Life” while Jenny Owens Young strolls through the song as if she has no place to go. We see what we want to see out of this release.

The random glitches and spaced-out acoustic delicacies on songs like “Billowing” or “The Storm” make you want to wish for a foggy day so you can curl up and keep these songs close.

And then you have songs like “Photograph” which is a simply straightforward shoegaze delight.

When listening to the Bell Horses, you become intrigued with every element of the song as each instrument or sample has a special place within the song. Just as fascinating, much of this album was recorded, arranged, and mixed in a converted Victorian Church in Western Massachusetts, helping to exhume a degree of historical charm to their futuristic pop. And the way Hawkins and Owens work together is a lovely musical relationship. Despite the other projects both artists are involved with, you only hope that they continue to work together and expand with each of their talents.

But for now, we have this lush masterpiece to cherish.