Albums
< Cannonball Jane
Street Vernacular
words by Rosie Swash
It’s not often you hear a bit of dub heavy Drum & Bass mixed with a bit of Northern Soul, even less so when it’s actually good. Cannonball Jane’s Street Vernacular feels like a raw, stripped down Avalanches record, samples and synth noises galore. But where The Avalanches got bogged down with post-modernism, Jane’s eclectic mix is utterly original. ‘Hey Hey Alright’ and ‘Slumber Party’ are really the stand out tracks, but there’s no need to choose. Each track has great attention to detail, and has been lovingly crafted by Jane and Jane alone. The Ohio born beat maker played all the instruments, did all the recording on a four track and used a digital work station to produce her debut album. All this, and by day she’s a primary school teacher!
One of the finest elements of Street Vernacular is Jane’s voice; it has an ethereal quality that somehow distances itself from the record. The effect is an old-fashioned, hazy sound that gives the record a whole new dimension. Despite the favouring of some hardcore Jungle beats (which you will get over given time) Jane simply does the unexpected with some electric riffs and sweet harmony. I defy anyone to not be humming the chorus to ‘Let’s Go!’ after a couple of spins.
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