Ethereal Delusions - Reformation

Ethereal Delusions is a project of Oregon-based synthwave/progwave musician and producer Jon Thompson, known for bold genre experimentation and fusing the iconic 80s-inspired sounds and beats with other electronic genres and moods, ultimately creating a work of art - a tapestry of diverse influences that co-exist together somewhere on the edge of the known universe.

Ethereal Delusions' "Reformation" was released in May 2018 and is a truly remarkable and diverse album that explores the concept of our increased dependence and integration of technology in our daily lives. "Reformation"’s take on the subject matter is intriguing: the mood of the album is somewhat that of a beautiful symphonic space opera that might as well have been a soundtrack to the Fifth Element or perhaps some other science fiction film that is yet to be written and produced.  

The introductory track 'Beyond Beauty and Chaos' captures the listener with its glowing soundscape-like ambiance and immerses the listener deeper into the concept. You can imagine yourself floating in space as the story of the album unfolds. By the third track, the listener is entranced and is pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the operatic vocals in the track; calm and dream-like, Banshee’s voice carries the listener away. The next track, 'Hope on the Horizon' captures the listener with bright saxophone solos, while still staying true to the dream-like space-like mood prominent in the first half of the album.

It’s with 'If You Want to Jam' where things get drastically different. The track introduces a potent fusion of chiptune/glitch, house, and synthwave done so masterfully – I had to listen to it several times with the “Wait, what?” expression on my face.  

The next tracks 'Pluto' and 'Developing Situation' brings everything back into the dreamy atmosphere the listener is familiar with, but the sound of the album metamorphs once again, bringing out the notes of electropop and industrial. With the track 'Shadow of Death', the album slowly progresses into the dark synth territory, hence showing off all its colors.  

"Reformation" is one of a kind tapestry of your favourite sounds brought to life once again in the most unexpected fusions and melodies. Although you can look at it as a synthwave hybrid, which doesn’t stay in the same genre for too long migrating to the next track with the next surprising set of influences, I highly recommend listening to this album as a concept, and the next thing you know – you can shape the story of it in your head. This album greatly impressed me, and if you like to be surprised by what you hear – you should check out Ethereal Delusion’s work on bandcamp. 


Oct 03 2018