Nooumena - 2017 - Controlled Freaks

(37:30; L'etourneur / Decagon Records)

Track list:
1. Seeds, Needs 6:38
2. Bamboozled 6:07
3. Death Toll 6:56
4. Something Else 2:29
5. Concealed 5:06
6. 7x6[infinity] 4:46
7. Dog Eat Dog 5:28

Line-up:
Pierre Blin - drums, synthesizers
Thibault Geay - vocals, guitars
Maxime Metais - guitars, saxophone
Simon Toralba - bass


Prolusion.
French band Nooumena has been around since at least 2011, and from what I can see they have released two studio albums to date. "Controlled Freaks" is the most recent of these, and was released through French label L'étourneur at the start of 2017. It would appear that the band has since gone on a bit of a hiatus, with the band's social media presence laying dormant since 2020.

Analysis.
Whenever I encounter a progressive rock band from France, I'll always be curious about whether this is an off kilter band that favors being expressive and experimental rather than being more conventional. While this is a curiosity that obviously can be applied to bands and artists from other nations too, there is just something a bit different about many of the French bands that go a bit out there. 

Nooumena is just such a band, and here with an album that provides an ample amount of listening pleasure for those who prefer their music to be more off kilter, unusual  and whimsical just as much as being eerie and unnerving.

To my ears at least this is material and music that fits perfectly inside of the Avant section of the progressive rock universe. With a bit of a controlled chaotic approach to off kilter moods, atmospheres, melodies and harmonies being the order of the day here. 

A prevalent and defining feature throughout this production are landscapes that revolve around patterns with dramatic, staccato impact elements and hard, distorted guitar being a central provider of key parts of that experience. With quite a few of the compositions being of a kind and a nature that reminds me more than a little bit about Fellow French band Jack Dupon. Nooumena are a bit more controlled however, and appear to favor having a bit of an eerie undercurrent rather than the often more whimsical attitude of aforementioned Jack Dupon. But there are some striking similarities here and there. 

Nooumena does expand the boundaries of this landscape a bit though. There is space and room for ambient interludes with and without a noise uncercurrent, and electronic noisescapes also appear from time to time to add a very different tangent and expansion of the avant landscapes explored. Arguably with a bit of post-rock going noice rock in one instance too.

This is a refreshing but also demanding creation to explore, and this strikes me as probably being one of those albums where you will uncover additional details and associations for a good number of listens each time you put it on. One of those creations that gradually reveals the scope of its boundaries over time.

Conclusion.
While Nooumena is a different band in many ways, there is no denying that there are some striking similarities with French band Jack Dupon as far as the style, sound and execution goes on this album. As such this is is a production I suspect might have a reasonable amount of appeal among fans of Jack Dupon too, and I wouldn't be all that surprised if fans of a band like Poil might find this album intriguing too, even if it a rather different sounding album that most of the material I have encountered by Poil so far. A good album with many solid compositions that should find it's main audience inside of the avant section of the progressive rock universe. 

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, September 2025

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064061347002
https://associationletourneur.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DecagonRecords/