Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble Of Shadows – Voyager-The Jugglers Of Jusa (1997)

Country: Germany

Tracklist

1. The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller: A Fragment II 05:06
2. Ein Freundliches Wort Hat Meine Seele Berührt (Defined and Fragile) 05:11
3. Memalon II 07:25
4. The Innocence of Devils: Alone 06:28
5. Modela Est 04:35
6. Birth (Instrumental) 02:50
7. Feralia Genitalia (Arrival of the Jugglers) 06:30
8. Menuetto 01:29
9. Saturn-Impressionen (Jusa, Jusa) 02:48
10. May I Kiss Your Wound? (Saturn: Orion) 06:05
11. Alone II 06:57
12. The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller: A Fragment II (Instrumental) 05:05

Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows is a darkwave musical project based in Frankfurt, 

founded in 1989 by Anna-Varney Cantodea.
Their sound is rooted in renaissance and baroque music, with main use of brass instruments, woodwinds, strings, pipe organs, bells, and guitars. While earlier works used drum machines, later albums feature live percussion. 

Cantodea's work has shown a progression towards livelier arrangements and more wall of sound production, compared to earlier works. Though considered by genre a darkwave band, Cantodea has stated that she creates 

"...-music for dead children (and otherwise wounded souls)".

Major themes of their music include death, unrequited love, karmatic pain, loneliness, sadness, 

spirituality and failure, occultism, sexuality and romance. 

A strong recurring theme is transexuality, especially the removal of male genitalia.

Many allusions to spirituality and Roman deities appear in her lyrics; aside from Jupiter and Saturn, Morpheus, Hades, Uranus and Charon have been addressed by name. Other supernatural figures mentioned include 

the Sister of Self-Destruction, the Goat, the Old Man and the Lord of the Darkest Side.
"Voyager: The Jugglers of Jusa" is the bands first remix album. It was released as a companion to 

"The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller", also released that year, 

and primarily features alternate versions of songs from that album, accompanied by some newer songs.
Most of the remixed songs have had either their backing tracks removed, 

or had extra percussion and drum machines added. "Never trust the Obvious" receives two remixes: 

"The Innocence of Devils: Alone", which contains a recitation of author Edgar Allan Poe's Alone; and "Alone II". 

The signature piece "Birth - Fiendish Figuration" is also featured as an instrumental; 

a remix of "Saturn-Impressionen" from "Todeswunsch - Sous le soleil de Saturne" also appears on this album.
The newer songs include "Modela Est", a cover version of Kraftwerk's "Das Model", sung in Latin; 

and "Feralia Genitalia", another ode to transgenderism as Anna-Varney Cantodea describes her 

"genitals rotting off" and her transformation into a woman.
A band that you either gonna love them or hate them, there is no middle road.

Memory