Jane vs World - 56kHearts

Tue 2nd Sep, 2008 in Music Reviews

I went through a phase recently where I decided I wanted to wow people with my CD collection. This involved two things: spending exorbitant amounts of money, and extending my knowledge of Sydney music stores beyond simply JB Hi-Fi. Of course, I was led to the usual suspects such as Red Eye Records, but I also stumbled upon a wonderful store called Mojo Music, which is a valuable resource for anything before 1980. (I found a soundboard bootleg of the 1965 SMiLE sessions there once, best day ever? I think so.) Of course, one day I went in there looking for an album from 1999 ( Sandpit’s fantastic, lone release On Second Thought, for the record). Despite the helpful clerk having actually run Sandpit’s label during the time of their signing (Fellaheen) he did not have the album in stock. However, he prompted me to re-direct my efforts to a small, unassuming store on Pitt Street called Enthusiasms.

And so the love affair began. Simon, the store’s owner is a great guy and he wrote some fantastic songs during his stint with The Hummingbirds. Also he runs a second-hand record store that absolutely screams crate-digger. And while I wasn’t particularly interested in collecting vinyl at the time, I can safely say that I now own an original vinyl copy of the first lesbian folk album to ever be released. And also thanks to his venerable store (which has now moved to a new location. I’d tell you where, but it’s a secret) I own a copy of this delightful EP from a duo of Australian girls. 56K Hearts by Jane vs World feels like a soundtrack to the trials and tribulations we all go through during our formative years.

If that introduction felt too long, it’s only because 56k Hearts is one of those things that inspires you to tell little stories about yourself to others. Underneath the skittering, jumpy, excitable piano melody leading EP highlight Sebastian Says is a story of teenage anxiety, young love and pretension. B-Grade Lisa Loeb details a boy who is too obsessed with his own self-image to listen to The Who. Boy From Canada is about…well, a boy from Canada. But it gets more interesting than that, promise. Also Kate namedrops Sloan. Instant street cred.

There’s an obvious difference between the songwriting styles of the two. To boil it down for you, Jadey’s songs are arguably the superior ones in terms of sheer technique and pop classicism, but one of Kate’s songs has a kazoo solo. I don’t know who to love more. The same thing happened to me the first time I heard Teenage Fanclub. But it’s certainly not a rivalry in any sense. From an outsider’s perspective the two girls work together very well and their blog posts detail a rather lovely time that was had by all recording this EP.

Unfortunately, that sense of fun didn’t seem to connect with enough people; I can’t tell you how many times I have seen this release in bargain bins scattered throughout JB Hi-Fis across the city. Which really is a shame, because together these two have managed to write something that’s both innately relatable (well, at my age) and enjoyable. And they’re only getting better; the chorus on as-yet unreleased track Always Beating Me At Scrabble comes out of nowhere and leaves a strong impression. If nothing else, Jadey wrote a 250,000 word thesis on The Beach Boys. That’s gotta be worth something.