https://mochalab.bandcamp.com/album/janissary-a-balkan-rock-opera
I’ve listened to a couple tracks off of Janissary recently for a thing and honestly, i really think this might be the single best thing i’ve done. It has the least amount of fantastical elements in it, by my normal standards it’s hardly sci fi or fantasy at all, and the things that are present are more oriented towards Balkan supernatural traditions. (The creation of a female Janissary harem is probably more outrageous than any other element, even the ghosts and the vampyr. ) Yugoslavian literature had a great deal of fantastical elements, which i’ve read and was aware of going in, but they are quite unlike my usual modern, pop culture sci-fi fantasy. This makes it feel it feel like a more grounded work. The emotions and characters are front and center. The performances by the singers all incredible.
When it was released it was overlooked. Since then it has built up a modest but fierce following. I’ve been approached by Serbian artists and random people i’ve never met, who i have been shocked to find out know it and love it. As well, my own fandom champions it rather passionately. Because it does not really fall squarely into the New Albion lore it is often passed over, but the fans who listen to it tend to champion and recommend it and for that i am incredibly grateful.
I do not often listen back to my work. I have new things to work on, and i don’t like to obsess over what i should have done differently mix-wise after the fact. It has been several years since i have listened to it, and i only listened to a few track thus far, but i am immensely heartened to find my opinion of it has not diminished over time. Quite the opposite in fact. Indeed, if i were to only be remember for one thing, this could very well be it and i would be proudly satisfied.
It is SO GOOD!
Literally my favorite album you’ve released!
I’ve found the same – I was actually quite neutral about it on release but the 2nd time I listened I was blown away for some reason, it only gets better with time <3
Janissary really grows in you, the more you listen to it. And the melodies are amazing! I’ve always loved rock, so this album struck a chord with me right away.
I had just about given up on listening to you after being cancelled by your fandom and accepting Will Wood, Emilie Autumn, and This Way To The Egress as alternatives to your work. But on a whim, I decided to revisit your blog just to see what you were up to, and I found this. I love Janissary and relate deeply to Brija, having been socially alienated throughout my childhood myself. I know exactly what you mean when you say it has lower fantasy elements, and that’s probably another thing I like better about it. It’s darker and more serious. Listening to your newer stuff, I can tell you’ve outgrown that edgy phase, as most people do when they become parents. When fantasy elements were first hinted at in Lost Hollow with Raven and Mary describing the collective unconscious, they gave me hope that everything imagined can be real, which was something I needed as someone who, much like Brija, is often shamed for escaping into dream worlds that can’t be perceived by more pragmatic individuals. I would even have fun imagining giant blind salamanders worming their way through the tunnels in The Underground. It felt dark and mysterious, and that’s the kind of vibe that fascinates me. But, everything changed once we actually got to meet one of the creatures. Ryvyr brought the Unheimlich into the spotlight and drenched it in cheesy technicolor, and New Albion just felt cartoonish after that. I get that you’re getting inspired by kiddy music now that you have a kid, but if you’re going that route, why still include curse words in your songs? Who are you writing for? Manchildren? After meeting your fandom, I guess so.
You seem to be mistaken on a few points. All of new albion was written after having had kids. My eldest is now 14 and has long outgrown kiddie tunes. My goal is to explore the range of human emotions, which includes things that are fun and even humorous to balance out the more serious, angst ridden stuff. So i do things like the posthuman war and jill’s psychedelic sunday, then balance it out with a light hearted romp such as kevin and abi. Hitting one single note of emotion over and over is dull. I actually like the nash album a great deal as i feel it perfectly blends all the difference aspects of my work, the lighthearted, the creative, and the serious. It’s the most personal look into my fear of death i’ve ever done (having been written after my mother died.) Edge without whimsicalness is adolescent. Not to mention as a person, i use humor to deal with hard to digest and accept aspects of life.
I wish to explore and incorporate all dimensions of emotion, music and story, so there will always be a colorful range. With that said, my work is not for kids. Ryvyr is not for my 7 year old. (Her first song is a 10 minute prog rock piece about fantasy, sex, and revenge. Im not sure where the kiddy part comes in, other than a whimsical humor, and i believe the whimsicalness is what you have an aversion to.) I do understand that my humor and sensibilities are certainly not for everyone. I assume the people who listen to me seem to do so because they like at least some of those sensibilities, however i make what i want and do not ask for permission or approval before doing so. I also keep a certain distance from the general fandom as i believe it is sensible for a creator to do so. I communicate regularly with the patreons and play them things ahead of time, but once again, albums are decided and planned far away from public opinion. Even the artists i use dont receive any glimpse until a full demo has already been completed. Any time i publicly ask for opinions, i assure you, the decision has already been decided, it is just an excuse to show something. I accept that many of sensibilities are not to your liking, and that’s the way it goes most of the time. But i want to be able to make all shades of human experience, not just the dark and edgy, although i do greatly enjoy that too.