Kaleidoscopic, cosmic rock 'n' roll takes centre stage in these new releases by British singer-songwriter Jane Weaver and home-grown upstarts Bakers In Space.
Modern Kosmology is the ninth solo release by prolific, Liverpool- born Weaver, formerly of 1990s Britpop outfit Kill Laura and folktronica project Misty Dixon.
An exquisitely crafted collection, Weaver blends far-out, cosmic vibes with unassailable melodies that hook you in from the get-go.
Insistent, krautrock rhythms and vintage synthesizers drive tracks such as album opener H>A>K, I Wish and The Lightning Back as Weaver's haunting and ethereal soprano soars high into the cosmos.
Malcolm Mooney, original singer of German krautrock pioneers Can, appropriately delivers a trippy spoken-word performance on the shadowy and spectral Ravenspoint. Other than this guest spot, Weaver wrote, produced and played all the analogue instruments on the songs herself.
She channels the spirit of art- rock trailblazers The Velvet Underground in the droning tempo and trebly guitars of Loops In The Secret Society, while the tenacious synths, funky drums and sublime melodies in The Architect burrows deep into the mind.
Progressive, urgent and magnetic, Modern Kosmology could well be Weaver's most fully realised work.
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EXPERIMENTAL POP/PSYCHEDELIC ROCK
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MODERN KOSMOLOGY
Jane Weaver
Fire Records
4/5 stars
INDIE/ PSYCHEDELIC ROCK
IMPLOSIONS
Bakers In Space
Self-released
3.5/5 stars
Closer to home is the debut EP by Bakers In Space, one of the budding acts that emerged from last year's Noise Singapore, the National Arts Council's initiative for youth talent.
The five tracks in Implosions are a testament to the band's mastery over lithe and compelling melodies.
The quartet - lead singer and guitarist Eugene Soh, guitarist and backing singer Ernest Foo, bassist Hafi Zainor and drummer Amirul Hakim - offer refreshing takes on the old guitar band formula.
There is the surf-rock-by-way- of-Arctic-Monkeys vigour of Fools & Liars, emotive yearning and progressive tendencies on Miss Conception and jaunty, psychedelic rock on Drifters.
Opening track Autumn shines with its layered harmonies and dreamy, reverb-drenched ambience, while EP closer Mute is a luscious and buoyant ode to young love.
It is their canny mix of old-fashioned, Beatle-esque melodies and modern, indie rock sensibilities that hook you in and the EP heralds Bakers In Space as one promising band to watch out for.