Jane in Space
Jane in Space
(Aion Records)

“Say Something,” a stuttering, machine-driven opener with Tom Vickers’ mumbling delivery opens Jane in Space’s new 10-song album. The song breeds into an oscillating dance track built from Jesse Jensen’s electronic layering. It’s a rather cool, tightly studied tune with a semi-dangerous bubbling potential just dying to break free throughout. It’s more loops than actual song, but it works as a very cool sonicscape. “Weightlessness” avails itself of tribal drum pattern, a low growl of the backing sounds and again that Nine Inch Nails vibe to the bleating more than singing swirl-of-a-lyric with an occasional shout. The constant attack and heaviness of the beat doesn’t make you feel weightless at all, but it does work on your brain to keep you locked and loaded throughout, even the areas where most of the instruments drop out for the vocals. It’s a heady brew of a tune, probably my favorite here. “Helsinki” is even heavier, all metallic hits and roiling bass from Josh Stillman, with also a distinctive guitar riff from Jensen played throughout. “Spiderwebs” is all trinkling piano and splashing drums, a slower, very welcomed rumination at this point in the record. “Feel It Alive” brings us back to the blurping, big, heavy, plodding, and distorted vocal thang by the record’s end.