Efrim Menuck is better known as a member of Canadian post-rock titans Godspeed You! Black Emperor. But between 1999 and 2014, Menuck also released music via A Silver Mt. Zion (later known as Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra), a side project intended to help him explore musical ideas that didn’t fit Godspeed’s aesthetic.

Along with two other Godspeed members, bassist Thierry Amar and violinist Sophie Trudeau, Menuck released He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms… in 2000. On its surface, A Silver Mt. Zion’s music hews closely to Godspeed’s apocalyptic output, but it possesses a more intimate and personal scale. (The album was a tribute to Menuck’s beloved dog, who died from cancer.)

“13 Angels Standing Guard ‘Round the Side of Your Bed” begins with an eerie swirl of disembodied voices. As the song progresses, though, lovely string arrangements slowly transform it into something filled with peace and tranquility, a brief-but-welcome respite from the apocalyptic themes and lyrics that permeate the rest of the album.

Put simply, it’s arguably the most beautiful and moving piece of music to emerge from the Godspeed camp, which is saying something.