Jane Vain – Love Is Where The Smoke Is
Posted on | April 2, 2008 | No Comments
Jane Vain – C’mon Baby Say Bang Bang
Jane Vain – We Must Destroy
Jane Vain and the Dark Matter live within the lines. The songs (or at least the ones I’ve counted off) are built in four-measure phrases of four-four time.[1] The down beats are so heavily emphasized that they almost count twice. Jamie Fooks even sings about the time signature in “Moving Notes”:
Now I can only hope
This broken heart of mine
Will mend in moving notes
And four-four time
The comforting simplicity of the structure allows each of the instruments to take turns very naturally. The use of minor keys and limited vocal range remind me very much of a Into The Pink era Verbena,[2] with both the up and downsides thereof. Taken individually, these minimalistic qualities and varied instrumentation create very compelling songs. In sequence, however, the limited palette makes the album essentially unlistenable.[3]
April 14th Update: Time has corrected my opinion. I have been spinning the whole album on a regular basis lately; it grows on me.
[1] I only counted out three of the tracks.
[2] Into the Pink’s fourth track from the end is Bang Bang; Jane Vain’s is C’mon Baby Say Bang Bang. Verbena’s most similar track, though, is the opener – Verbena – Lovely Isn’t Love.
[3] For a different take, I recommend the review over at Hero Hill.
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