Review Summary: Thoughtful and detailed industrial that doesn't strictly stick to genre rules.
Industrial is yet another genre that was quite exciting when it was first identified as such, but then, as is usually the case, many newcomers just kept regurgitating what has already been played (sung) already. The problem is not whether you are inspired by another artist or are following a similar musical path, but it is to inject something new, fresh, or at least a personal take on the whole thing.
Still, once in a while, and act shows up that promises it might do just that. A perfect cue for the Brooklyn’s Jane in Space and their Gorerunner EP. Their 2016 debut album, laid the cards wide open, as it was co/produced and mixed by Keith Hillebrandt, who did more or less the same duties for Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie.
So the comparisons with the aforementioned duo of artists, as well as the likes of Ministry and Depeche Mode set the tone immediately, but like on that release, Jane in Space brings much of personal identity to the six tracks on Gorerunner. Sure the deep industrial feel of the opener “Little Raurus” or the title track are there, but, Jane in Space never forget to run it all with a deep melodic feel, (Bowie?, Depeche Mode?), as on “Breaking Glass”.
Maybe it has something to do with vocalist Tom Vickers’ Britpop tendencies (he is originally from Oxford, England), or the fact that bassist Josh Stillman loves to throw in some strong funk lines here and there, but the main-man, multi-instrumentalist/producer Jesse Jensen keeps the proceedings firmly in the industrial zone with his ‘mechanics’, like the buzz’n’grind of the closing track “Through The Vines”.
But the key probably lies in the fact that it is all neatly and coherently tied together, giving the right balance between melody and noise, like between hot coffee and a cold glass of water, and producing music to listen to and not just some ‘industrial racket’, as some might say.
