More than a decade after his debut album, Ben Chasny — the mastermind behind Six Organs of Admittance — has released the latest in a long chain of highly experimental, instrument-driven works. Luminous Night has a sound that is at times so supernatural and fantastical that I don’t believe it is sufficiently grounded in this reality to correlate with this world’s labels. Nevertheless, it is human nature to place things into categories, and those who have listened and observed before have classified it as new folk and psychedelic.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Six Organs of Admittance sound so drastically different from other recording artists. It took me a while to realize that it wasn’t recording artists who it sounded so different from — it was performing artists. Luminous Night reminds me of a smattering of random sounds, none of which seem to exist on conventional albums. Some songs remind me of the soundtracks to video game RPGs I used to play in the ’90s. Others remind me of the CDs specifically designed to aid in meditation that I used in college. Still others bear an uncanny resemblance to tracks from the new age compilations of Pure Moods (not that I openly admit to ever making such a purchase).

One notable exception to this is that the vocals are strikingly similar to those of David Bowie…well, in some regards at least. Imagine if David Bowie had skipped on the acid and cocaine-infused days of Ziggy Stardust in preference of something else…say acid and Quaaludes instead. While they share a very similar range, employ comparable rhythmic patterns, and use the same subtle vibrato, the stylistic differences are clearly evident. There isn’t the faintest hint of playful whimsy here. Instead, the vocals oscillate between mesmerizing (at best) and dronish (at worst).

On “Anesthesia,” the sound of Ben Chasny’s voice wraps the listener up in a thick, soft blanket and is accompanied by soothing flutes and layers of otherworldly background ambiance. It’s enough to make you feel too far away from reality to experience any kind of concrete pain or discomfort. On the other hand, there is “Bar-Nasha,” which would be intriguing with its Eastern-inspired drumbeats and urgently cascading guitar fills, save for the painfully repetitive vocals.

My favorite aspect of this album is its ability to transport your mind to some alternate dimension. After listening to a few tracks, it’s quite easy to slip out of this world and into a strange yet beautiful new reality. Adorned with graceful string accompaniments, mysterious and seductive flute fill-ins, and complex classical guitar parts, it’s hard to not want to go along for the ride.

“The River of Heaven,” for example, does indeed inspire feelings of divine wonder. Imagine slowly entering through the front gates of some breathtaking temple during the most sacred of rites. It’s unclear from what part of the world this temple might be found, most likely because it exists within some neighboring dimension. Instruments from every corner of the universe rise up in grand exaltation, led by some elusive priest-like conductor who is not altogether unlike Pink Floyd. Realistically, where else are you going to hear anything like that…ever? Is this music bizarre? Yes, more than a little. But is it enthralling as well? Absolutely.