My review of "The Deception Of Reality" CD by Numina

[richardgurtler]

Numina "The Deception Of Reality" CD

In Parker, Colorado, USA, based ambient drifter Jesse Sola known as Numina comes here with a brand new album released on Hypnos during July 2012. Marked as 4th album for Hypnos, but Jesse's discography is quite extensive with around 27 albums and collaborations (with IXOHOXI, Stephen Philips and Caul). The album unveils all its secrets with over 17 minutes long "The Illusion Transmission". A composition expertly sculpted with mysterious drones, diffusing with coiled tension and eeriness, but always having its celestial and graceful timbre. After 11 minutes the piece silently transfers into utterly sublime and tranquil spheres and immerses each journeyer deeply into entirely magnificent sonic trance. Bravo, Jesse!!! This heavenly odyssey continues also throughout "Our Elegant Experience", another track clocking to 17 minutes. This time more textured and evolving, with less drifting mood, although still strongly expansive into massive, but majestically heartwarming realms. Deeper drones invade "In Cerulean Haze", with 9 and half minutes the shortest piece on this journey. Gliding through slightly more dramatic dreamscapes with divine voice-like sounds and heading into peacefully immense, nearly cinematic paths. Again filled with refined beauty and grace. "Empire Of Nothing", with 19 and half minutes the longest composition, remains deeply plunged into aerial dreamscapes, smoothly cascading, warmly inviting and blissfully tranquil. Moments of pure sonic ecstasy are captured again, this certainly must be Numina at its most graceful!!! Windy dissonance carries "Translunary Return" into another precisely colored texture with enormously visualizing and serenely painted moods. A truly masterful 12-minute finale. To be honest, even if I am a really big ambient enthusiast and collector, I am still quite an outsider to Numina's impressive discography (shame on me!!!), so I am unable to compare this album to previous works by Jesse Sola. However, to me, "The Deception Of Reality" is highly sophisticated album and absolutely stunning listening experience!!! Once again, great work, Jesse!!! And another big one from Hypnos clan!!! Elegant 4-panel digipak nicely interacts with the sonics. A must have for all space journeyers!!! Now it's time to dig up some older treasures of Numina...

Richard Gürtler (Sep 16, 2012, Bratislava, Slovakia)

[Numina]

Richard,

Thank you for such a glowing review of the new album! I am very happy you are enjoying it.

Incidentally, I also received another review posted today by Bert Strolenberg with Sonic Immersion:

NUMINA
The Deception of Reality
CD, Hypnos Recordings, 2012
From the labels notes on Jesse Sola’s concept release "The Deception of Reality" I learned it’s about introspective escapism while balancing light and dark themes, with the music transporting the listener to wherever they wish the music to take them.

Jesse’s previous two albums already opened the doorway to a much deeper and darker-flavoured sonic environment, something that nicely continues on the five lengthy, uninterrupted pieces on this 75-minute album. We’re talking about spacious, slighty melodic but overall expansive soundscapes here that venture into alternate realities with lots of mystic caverns and longform dwellings into the vast unknown.

Besides occasional undercurrents of mourning and melancholy, Numina’s expressive, constantly evolving and overall emotive textures paints beautiful pictures, all fitting in a grand, transparent design. I though can imagine the drifting flow making up the rather Roach-oriented 19-minute "Empire of Nothing" may be a bit too minimal for some. Fortunately, the smooth, warm and dreamy waves of the final track "Translunary Return" again pull things in a different direction.

All in all, if you love imaginary and in-depth ambient soundscape music, the excellently mastered "The Deception of Reality" won’t disappoint the least.

Website: www.numinamusic.com

Review link: http://www.sonicimmersion.org/review.php?letter=N&review=72552

[drone on]

Don't forget my 8/7 review.  Guess it wasn't "glowing" enough for a comment from the artiste. 

[Numina]

Don't forget my 8/7 review.  Guess it wasn't "glowing" enough for a comment from the artiste. 

Drone On - I'm so sorry! I didn't see your review until you just mentioned it here. Thank you for a more than glowing review! I will be posting your review on my reviews link at numinamusic.com when I get a chance to do so.

You're the "glowing" man!

[drone on]

Actually I think Richard's was the most glowing, but mine was more glowing than Bert's.  But, I think to some degree they were all glowing. 

[Numina]

Actually I think Richard's was the most glowing, but mine was more glowing than Bert's.  But, I think to some degree they were all glowing. 

Glowing