Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
2017
Album Summary
Jane Louise Weaver (born 28 February 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She runs the label Bird Records, an offshoot of Twisted Nerve Records. Weaver has performed as part of the Britpop group Kill Laura, the folktronica project Misty Dixon, and as a solo artist. She was brought up in the town of Widnes, Cheshire.
WikipediaArguably the hardest album I have had to rank so far and the first one to really make me question why exactly it was included on this list. I was intrigued at first due to it being the newest album I have listened to so far as well as it being from an artist I have never heard of. I can genuinely say that I liked this album (didn't necessarily love it), but after giving it some more thought, I was left baffled as to its placement in the 1001 Albums You Should Hear Before You Die. This sounds harsh, but I didn't feel it did anything unique or overly interesting for an album that came out in 2017. Everything that I enjoyed has already done before, and I didn't find Jane to have a particularly standout voice. I ended up looking into this one a bit more after seeing that she has less than 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and this album does not even have a Wikipedia page (!). This isn't a mark of its quality at all as it is a fine album, but all of this really made me question why such a niche artist was selected as "required before you die" listening. I can only think of personal preference being a reason for its placement (maybe the author really likes this artist?). While I did like this one more than other albums I feel have a legitimate reason for being on this list, I do not feel the need to come back to it and do not understand why it was included over so many other amazing albums. 2.5/5.
Love her moody and melodic songs. The Lightning Back is my favourite track 10/10 would listen cover to cover again
I like it. It's meditative and trance-y and somewhere between indie rock and 70s psychedelia and bedroom pop. If I listen to it again, it might be a five. The cool thing is, I could see myself listening to it closely or just having it on in the background and liking it both ways.
Strong 4 to Light 5. I enjoyed: some of the more synth-heavy parts and the blending of folk and electronic, and when it gets more scattered. Finished on a strong note with the last 2 songs. I disliked: VOCALS GOD THEY ARE SO MEDIOCRE! Pretty weak songwriting at times so much meandering. Felt like a slog at a lot of points. It all felt so artistically safe, and unoriginal. Felt dan deaconish and was too Stereolab Something that wine moms call experimental. This is just wine mom music for the most part. I hope the next album is better.
Very much my jam! Super soft dreamy vocals, driving krautrocky motorik rhythms, luscious indie pop melodies... Fave track - "H>A>K", but "Did You See Butterfiles", "Slow Motion", "The Architect", and "I Wish" could all take the top spot too on a different listen!
Muy buen disco. No conocía está artista, me gusta mucho. Las guitarras me hacen acordar a Sonic youth y su voz genera un trance
I have a soft spot for Ethereal femme voices like this one, and the production felt post-apocalyptic in a great way.
I've never heard of her before but this is a really incredible piece of psychedelic pop! Very interesting inclusion here but I'm happy to have discovered it.
the transitionssssssssss. everything is so interesting. Did you see butterflies is phenomenal. Love the jazz that happens in the title track.
Amé este disco y no la conocía a ella para nada, ya escuché más y creo que me haré fan. En fin, como que condensa muchas de las cosas que me gustan en la música. "The Architect", rolón. 10/10
I think this is the first album so far not to have it's own Wikipedia page, so was going in blind. Never heard of Jane Weaver but have to say after listening to this, I'm intregued to hear the rest of her discography. I listened to this twice in one day and it still sounded fresh. I cannot think of one thing wrong about this album. The music is dreamy yet not sleepy, the jamming sections are full of mystic rhythms that keeps you on your toes, and Weaver's vocals are so pleasant to hear. Favourite songs are H>V>K, Modern Kosmology, The Architect, and I Wish. No bad songs on here and it flows perfectly.
she looks like a british kylie. idk. we'll see. i really liked this! like how i wish that Joan Baez album had sounded.
This album is REALLY good. I hadn't heard of Jane Weaver before and I'm surprised she isn't more known. This album is such a groove. 100% relistening. Favorite Tracks: Did You See Butterflies? and The Architect
yeah this album was WHACK. it was so dope. it reminded me of synth pop acts like US girls or the knife. i listened to this album like 7 times. i just loved it.
Definitely something I will listen to again. She’s got a beautiful voice, you can have this in the background but also really focus on it. It can put you in a trance but not to sleep or make you drowsy. A nice surprise
Wow, this album picked me up by the ears and knocked me around on a fun, wild, whimsical adventure. Hadn't heard much of Jane Weaver, but what a find!
This sounds timeless and almost mystical. It puts you in a trance. I like it, it's a hidden gem.
Digging the vocals and the synths. Very good music to get lost in. Very Stereolab-y. Pretty harmonies and backing vocals.
Some great classic thrash on here. Could feel a bit samey at times, but went hard throughout.
Lite Lush-känsla över ganska många låtar, inte minst Did You See Butterflies. Slow Motion är 5/5. Coolt folk-sound blandat med drömpop.
Very interesting, strongly reminiscent of Stereolab, and in some parts aspects of the Velvet Underground. A couple of bland tracks but mostly pretty great.
I. Loved. This. Shades of Laurie Anderson's Superman. Electronic sounds with a more spoken-word lyrical vibe. I could listen to it for days. Don't know that I'd go to a concert or blast it in my car, but it was excellent music to just vibe to.
4.4 - Surprised I hadn’t heard this before. It’s in my Broadcast, Stereolab wheelhouse. Beautiful vocals, interesting bleeps and bloops, and use of noise. An album to enjoy from beginning to end.
Very melodic almost hypnotic voice. Electronic backing, but very calm listening. I like it!
Not my usual style but I enjoyed the album. The first song is a bit weird but I liked the other ones a lot. They sound fresh and unusual but in a nice way.
First really new albums we've had ayyy. I really enjoyed it, as with most of the new stuff it's completely weird and unique but for once it really worked imo
A really pleasant surprise. I had no expectations going in and this album was good. Experimenting with a few different sounds on the record but the album as a whole is great.
Pretty cool! Good vibes. I enjoyed listening to this. My fave track for now is The Valley.
I've never heard of Jane Weaver and frankly, sounds like she'd be a dental hygienist. Though a little slow in places, this album brings us into the 20th century. It's nice to listen to something more contemporary than discovering old classics that I missed. The album starts off strong. Jane sounds like Stereolab or School of Seven Bells with a hint of Daft Punk, Postal Service and even some Cocteau Twins thrown in. But tapers off toward the end with songs like Valley, which is a slow and whiny or Ravenspoint which includes traditional instrumentation and dabbles in Psychedelia. The first listen was good, but the second grew on me. Despite the tail end of the album, there's enough of a foundation to expect good things from this hygienist in the future. I even found myself meandering off the reservation and exploring her new release 'Flock' which I immediately enjoyed.
What a pleasant surprise! H>A>K and The Architect are awesome. The whole thing is pretty good. Not my style but I still enjoyed it a lot.
Bought this on a whim when it was released. I liked it so much, I bought the next release.
Texture and quality, heavy and interesting, not sure how much of a fixture it could be
Nice album. Weaver is a pleasant enough singer, and the instrumentation is really easy to listen to. This is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me... Since today is a holiday, 4 stars it must be!
English, 10s, Alternative/Electronic Rock + Charming, Fairy, Atmosphere, Complexed = Female, Electro, Alike - Maybe boring {3/10} [4/5]
It's got motorik beats and synths all over it. Of course I like it. Even got Malcolm Mooney on "Ravenspoint"! Love the balance of instruments and electronics. I'm a sucker for female voices paired with electronic music.
I enjoyed this, seems interesting and unique. Surprised it is so new. How objectively can we look at something 4 years old in the context of the last half century of music?
Is this a synthwave album? this might be a synthwave album. Hell yea. Though its not like some cheeseball synth emulation, there is actually a really well crafted sonic vision on this one. The Architect slaps. Ravenspoint is weird.
I'd never heard of Jane Weaver before this album, but I'll certainly remember her name now. It was pretty good! I'm certainly glad I listened to it. I think it might drag on a little bit towards the end, but overall, very solid album.
I thought this was terrific. Bit of Charlotte Gainsbourgh, but of Velvet Underground bit of psychedelia.
I was very skeptical of this. I think very few albums from the last 5 years will have enough context to meet the criteria of the list. I have to say I loved this album. Great psych folky stuff going on here
Glorious dreamy synth-pop. Hints of Goldfrapp and a lil bit of Hot Chip in there too - can't believe I hadn't discovered Jane Weaver before. I'm excited to listen to her other stuff. I'll defo be playing this album again too.
Pleasantly surprised by this one. Obviously a very much underground pick, and maybe not worthy of its status of one of the 1000 best albums of all time, but still very enjoyable with a good varied sound.
Had never heard of this artist before, but quite liked it. Dreamy synth pop that reminded me of Stereolab.
Not the status of a 1001 album generator album but, just another one of a massive amount of good albums that are released every year. I did not know this album, but some songs such as Slow Motion (the synths) and Loops in the Secret Society (the guitar) sounded very familiar to me. Clearly, Loops in the Secret Society is Velvet Underground. These songs and also the final two started to grow a bit on me. Vocals are OK too. I would buy this record and give it a 4 but I would never put it in a 1001 list!
Komplett vermessener Gedanke: wie schön es für mich gewesen wäre, hätte Jane Weaver die bis heute klaffende Lücke gefüllt, die Mary Hansens viel zu früher Tod bei Stereolab aufgerissen hat. Aber auch solo ist sie natürlich nichts weniger als fantastisch: Motorik-Kraut, flirrende Analogsynthflächen, Hypnosegesang - mehr braucht es nicht, um mich vor jede Klippe zu steuern, und das hier auch nur äußerst knapp an der 5 vorbei.
I admit, I had never heard of Jane Weaver until now. I've never really been into electronica or ambient dream-pop, so for my first listen I didn't care for it. I took a second (more focused) listen (late in the evening) and it paid off. The use of synths and other sounds has a trance-like quality that envelopes you with music full of depth and atmosphere. I didn't think I'd like it, but I'm pleased this album was suggested. I recommend it!
Very much enjoyed going album beautiful mood, gorgeous voice, warm lush instrumentation very inviting perfect for dark late night listening 4 🌟
This is a nice find. The kind of stuff I used to listen to all the time. I’d probably make the effort to go see her live if playing locally.
Having never heard of this album or artist I was pleasantly surprised. Huge Broadcast vibes throughout.
Really cool, I think i knew her already but never listened to the album in full. Nice discovery, i'll add it to my rotation list, plus from spotify it spawned a lot of nice related suggestions
Very surprised by this album -- didn't know what to expect. At first I was a little disinterested, but as I listened more I found lots to like. It grooves like Tame Impala with psychedelic influences. The vocals and overall vibe remind me of Charlotte Gainsbourg. It's not an everyday listen for me, but I'll add it to my library. Neat.
Sometimes an aesthetic just grabs you from word go. God knows I know not what this magical combination or way of combining things is, but damn this has it in spades. It lives not in the land of the olfactory, but I can smell it. I can smell it.
Sour Krautrock. Someone's been listening to Stereolab. Never judge a book by its cover? Well, you can judge this album by its name. Avant garde but not avant harde to listen to. Best Tracks: H>A>K; Did You See Butterflies?; Loops in the Secret Society
If the songwriting on here is just "pretty good" on average, it's the production that really elevates it to something special. Combining 2010s indie pop with psychedilia and driving programmed beats was the correct move, and it's engineered so effin' well.
El mejor disco que me ha sugerido esta página hasta el momento. A punto he estado de darle cinco estrellas. Tiene canciones realmente cósmicas.
Holy hell! Täysin tuntematon artisti mulle mutta tää kyl iski aika lujaa. Tosi kaunista ja nyanssirikasta. Pienillä jutuilla suuri merkitys. Meneviä biisejä olematta yhtään rankkoja tai liian poppiksia. Jatkoon jatkoon jatkoon!
Decent, maybe a little too ephemeral for me at times. Like it was very close to a music style I love, but not quite there.
loved this album. can't believe that I had never heard of her before. definitely will keep listening.
I loved both the music behind the vocals and the ethereal vocals. I definitely want to check more of her work out. You can definitely tell that she's a visual artist as well (or an all-around artist) because of her unique putting together of the pieces.
A lovely album by an artist I had not come across. The music was intelligent and intriguing at the same time. Will certainly be listening to more of this artist
One of the more enjoyable and cohesive albums I've ever listened to. The opening track wasn't all that great to me, but the rest of the album was good-to-great. The dreamy vocals mixed with the mostly electronic instrumentals created a unique atmosphere that is a joy to experience. Very reminiscent of indie rock mixed with bedroom pop mixed with electronic. So, so good. The transitions were also so much fun. Aside from a few, Weaver's transition from track-to-track was nearly perfect, and really helped to tie everything together. Aside from a few very small nitpicks, I greatly enjoyed just about everything this album has to offer.
Beetje vaag maar ook lekker. Sommige nummers doen me aan Ladytron denken. Mijn favorieten zijn "Slow Motion" en "Architect" ****
Like pretty much anyone on the reviews, I've never heard of her or this record and was pleasantly surprised.
I'd never heard of Jane Weaver before this album, but I'll certainly remember her name now. It was pretty good! I'm certainly glad I listened to it. I think it might drag on a little bit towards the end, but overall, very solid album.
Reminiscent of Embryonic and The Terror era Flaming Lips. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: The Architect Date listened: 02/05/22
Ethereal. I've never really heard anything labeled "folktronica" before, but I enjoyed the vibe. Very peaceful. Feels like some fae creature singing to you in the middle of a clearing in the forest. Favorite tracks: "Modern Kosmology", "The Architect", "Valley"
Wow! Que agradable sorpresa! Muy buen disco, no había escuchado a Jane, pero definitivamente este disco va en esta lista. Me pareció como una mezcla entre PJ Harvey y St Vincent. Muy recomendable
A really nice album. Like her stuff generally but hadn't heard this before for some reason. Silver globe and Amber are really great. Lots of gentle motorik beats all over this.
Love the femme-y, electronica-y, gentle vibes. Loved it even more when my friend told me she was a Manc folk singer! Bumped this album up from a 3 to 4 stars. Yay for musical exploration executed well.
This album sounds like it could be a grower. It’s a bit of folktronica with moments of 70s singer/songwriter thrown in. This reminds me a lot of later Radiohead in some of the sounds in the beats. Overall, I really enjoyed this album and found it very accessible. Jane Weaver is clearly influenced by the sounds of the 90s in northern England but brings a folk sensibility that tempers the electronic side of things to end up with a well balanced and thoughtful mix.
Fun indie feel to it, almost like Metric vibes- would listen to again! Plan to check out other stuff by this artist
This was very enjoyable. Felt very much like Stereolab, which fits my tastes very well. Bit of Aldous Harding in there too. Must try a bit more folktronica.
This was a groovy album. I liked the 80s vibes mixed with like arcade fire or something. Really kicked it up a notch with the architect and the lightning back
Love being able to hear the nooks and cranny of pop music. I have never heard of Jane Weaver before but I'm glad to have been introduced to her and by extension, this album. I definitely feel like this one will grow on me in time, but I see it as a great album to have on in the background. Top song pick upon first listen is The Architect; synths slowly build for over 30-seconds before launching into a dirty bass synth and drum groove, really dug it!
There's some fun modern electronic bleep bloops. Not always my jam, but awesome when in the right mood and I like the way this was done. || Unfortunate that there's not more info on Wiki about the specifics of this album and it's more about the artist.
I expected to not like it, but it was more enjoyable than I thought. The esoteric stuff is a bit annoying, but besides that it is kind of progressive and has interesting parts.
A completely unknown artist to me - and only a few minutes in I knew I'd have to give this one at least two listens due to everything that was going on sonically. But all it took was about halfway through the first before I realized I loved it - love the spacey/mysterious/hypnotic/DoctorWho-in-space/melodic feels I'm getting from this. Yet it still has such an organic bent to it - live/acoustic drums, guitars - all blended so well with the kind of melodic sequencers and synthesizers I love. It's modern yet with heavy doses of 70s Gong+Hawkwind and 80s artrock. 4 complete listens today. A keeper. 9/10 4 stars.
This gives me quite a few warm fuzzies. Especially during the bits closer to dance music, and when the objectively indulgent string arrangements come in. It may be naive, but "post-Britpop" neatly describes my initial reading. And like many a Britpop project, its songs never cohere into a sum greater than the parts.
Less than 5 years old, this record was a surprise for sure. Never heard of Jane Weaver before. This music is solid, I listened to the record she just released this year and enjoyed it too
This album was fine. I liked it for background listening and it was interesting in places but nothing to rave about.
I've had to listen twice to work out how much I care... certain nice bits and tunes but some of it really quite boring. Interesting as possibly one of our most modern albums - 2017.
On albumoftheyear.com this Jane Weaver album is #159/160 for 2017. So I’ve at least sampled it before. I didn’t download it then, and I’m not going to download it now. If someone else was playing it, I wouldn’t mind listening to it again.
Another example of the Brit lean of this list. I'm surprised I've not heard of Jane Weaver on this side of the pond, esp. as it appears that she's made quite a splash over there. This album is quite listenable, with a chill vibes and an interesting pop/trance crossover feel. I get hits of Dido and Feist, but with Weaver's own unique voice. The sounds are sometimes retro, but don't feel particularly dated (at this time!). I would give this album future listenings, and will likely seek out some of her other works.
It's fine. But why is it on this list? I had never heard of it, so I wanted to see if it was a big deal in 2017 (big enough to include in 1001 albums you must listen to). I looked at 5 top 50 of 2017 lists (NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and to include the British perspective that seems heavily weighted on the list, The Guardian and NME). Jane Weaver's "Modern Kosmology" was on none of them.
I'm not sure why this record is on the list to be honest. It's fine, but that's all it is. Nothing jumped out at me as I listened.
Dit klonk verrassend leuk. Beetje psychedelische Auf Der Maur. Vrij recent maar niet eerder meegekregen.
I like the sound and overall ideas here, but it really flounders in its execution. I feel like I kept waiting for something bold or adventurous or unexpected, and never quite got it. A very safe record.
This album is just fine for someone who really loves St. Vincent. Slow Motion is a good song, but other than that I could take it or leave it.
Surprised by how much I liked it. The psych pop sound was nice back ground music. Would definitely check out more of her music
Smooth. chill. Beautiful in the background or for focus. It’s steadily grew on me throughout the day. This is a very interesting pivot for the list so far. I initially intended to ignore it and give a low ranking but listening further got me kinda hooked.
Exceeded my initially low expectations and poor impression to provide a solid soft and easy listening album. Probably not one I seek out consistently, but would be perfect to have on in the background to end an evening or enjoy a vice or two.
I liked everything except the vocal delivery. All the instrumentation was cool but if the vocals aren't my style it ruins an artist for me.
It's a fine album if inconsequential, but the entry in the book reaffirms my beliefs of the Anglocentrism of the list.
I'd heard about this album when it first came out and a friend recommended it- couldn't get into it then so I'm happy to be giving it another go. On the whole it was a pleasant listen from the driving motorik style opener to the more sun-hazed psychedelics of the last few tracks. The sequencing is done very well and it moves effortlessly through different moods. The middle stretch is superb- "Slow Motion" thru "The Architect" is what will bring me back for more listens. There's a lovely warm, analogue feel to the sound throughout and Weaver's voice glides above the music well. But there's just nothing very outlandish going on. It's not groundbreaking music and feels much more an exercise in atmospherics than songwriting. Not that there's anything wrong with that- today I'm rounding down to a 3*, but on a more generous day this might get a 4*. On paper it's everything I love, so frustrated it didn't hit more.
What an interesting album. I had not heard of her or heard any of her music, and this style is a departure from music I typically enjoy. Although at times some of the tracks get too frenetic for me, overall I liked listening to this and will come back to it. I also want to explore her other work. (Re-listening to the track "Valley." It's beautiful.)
I enjoyed this. Not come across Jane Weaver before. Definitely worth another listen I reckon. A steady 3* to start with but might well be a grower.
I wasn't sure what genre this would be - its sort of a dreamy electro-synth-pop. It's not bad, but I found the beats and some of the lyrics to be repetitive.
Feels like a flavor of the week that nobody's going to remember in a few years. They really need to let these albums breathe before putting them in a list like this. Best track: The Lightning Back
Not really my style. Trancy folk rock with a bit of jazzed up drums for flavor. Very well produced and the instrumentation is great. Vocals are decent.
The salt of the earth What is your impression? Elements of Air Surreal, ethereal, disconnection