Jane Weaver – The Amber Light (2015)

There's a massive cheat coming up here. On its own, this album was only released as a 10 MP3 format, or a vinyl LP with 8 tracks.

But there was a special edition of her 2014 album The Silver Globe released with this as a bonus disc, and despite already having that album, on seeing it in a charity shop, a couple of quid to get this edition was a no brainer.

It's a mixture of remixes of songs from Silver Globe, new songs and atmospheric instrumentals, just about different enough to that album to stand alone.

Opener La Pomme D'Argent is a beat heavy instrumental with a Byrne/Eno feel, followed by the catchy single, I Need A Connection, a great song with a lengthy run out groove. You Are Dissolved is a pleasant enough song, without being one of her stand outs, while title track The Amber Light slows things right down, again a good song without really blowing me away.

Next is the first Silver Globe remix, Argent (Tom Furse Extrapolation). It feels a bit more poppy and a little less spacey than the original version, possibly a little less to my taste, but still a great song. Cascade In Dark is a short, minimal piece, just Weaver's vocals and piano, then Electric Mountain (Andy Votel Analogue Mountain Instro), the second of the remixes. It's instrumental, so a bit more experimental and less catchy than the original for the first half before the familiar riff kicks in. Parade Of Blood Red Sorrows sounds like something from the soundtrack of a British 1970s horror film, before the final remix, Your Time In This Life Is Just Temporary (P.J.Phillipson version), which feels to have a little more depth than the original minimal version, but sounds just as great. Neotantrik Globes is an excerpt from a soundscape recorded live in Bergen, very spacey and dreamy.

This is a great album, which stands up alone. Perhaps not quite as coherent as its 'parent album', but nevertheless lots to enjoy and lots to revisit and get more out of each time.

Link to album tracks

4* - an album showing all sides of Weaver's work from the experimental to the pop song.