On their debut LP, Transmalinnia (Knitting Factory), Lumerians follow their self-titled EP and last year’s “Burning Mirrors” single with a comprehensive effort to create another enlightened, spiritual world.
Divided into sides that serve as highly organized passageways to the their enlightened world, the album conveys a singular focus throughout.  The first side consists of several relatively short “pop” statements, including “Burning Mirrors.”  Within the context of the album, “Burning Mirrors” transforms from a succinct sonic statement into a hard-hitting opening shot, setting the pace for the side as a whole.  Full of overdriven keys, wayward synth parts, dancing bass, robust percussion, and monolithic fuzz guitar, Lumerians provide their own psychedelic constellations.  Largely driven by keys, the remaining diverse instrumentation coloring the fields beneath the standout organics and synthesizers.  Vocal passages alternate between dreamlike solo passages and glorious, celebratory harmonies.
Between structured songs, Lumerians foreshadow the second side with a few drone outbursts, destroying the space between each song as an individual entity and threading that comprehensive vision throughout the side. Â The whole album features an unsettling and beautiful dissonance as these disparate pop and experimental elements cross. Â Compared with earlier Lumerians sounds, this dissonance is enhanced by darker timbre and a more aggressive production vibe. Â Unlike some entries into the repetitive, experimental psychedelic catalog, Lumerians emphasize fidelity on this offering, clearly placing the focus on instrumentation in a clear atmosphere, and utilizing that focus to drive the aesthetic of the release.
Once the “pop” side is complete, Lumerians embark on a journey of mostly instrumental passages, filled with repetitive instrumentation shattered by shrieks, noise, and other interludes that convey the development of dream states throughout the course of sleep.  Each progression on the second side feels intended to invoke particular emotional responses, to develop a course in which the listener can reflect on what they previously heard and respond to it emotionally.  This side is an ethereal release of the tension and dissonance built on the first side, and perfectly complements the structured aspects of that first handful of songs.
8/10
Just a note, upon further review: the digital version is sequenced in a completely different order than the LP version, which completely changes the manner in which the sonic message is conveyed. The digital version comes off as much more of an instrumental effort, as the “B” side instrumentals are placed throughout the entire recording on the digital version.