Jane Weaver -The Architect album review

The gradual diminution of the EP as a credible format is a depressing phenomenon. Where once there was Five By Five and Ready Steady Who, there’s now an album track of genuine downloadable merit, bulked out by an exclusive ‘meh’ remix and a couple of bits of half-cocked fluff. Obviously Jane Weaver can’t be held entirely responsible for the culture’s ongoing plummet into the mire, but The Architect – an undeniable slice of driving krautpop genius – is enjoyed to far better advantage set amid the excellence of her ninth Modern Kosmology album than cast adrift here with a trio of marketing afterthoughts. Harsh? Perhaps, but by comparison to its titular lead track, The Architect EP’s forgettable supporting features (Andy Votel’s remix adds five minutes to its duration, but little else; there’s acoustic humathon Code; Element has further experimentation with added biscuit tin drum machine) are unlikely to enter the repertoire of the nation’s few remaining whistling milkmen. However, The Architect itself is a deliciously space-whispered, dancefloor-friendly recalibration of Primal Scream’s Kill All Hippies and, stripped of additional baggage, well worth a cheeky stream.