Cranes this weekend – recorded in Lausanne by Swiss Radio on December 12, 1991.
A band hard to pin down as to genre, the best description would be a “unique blend of art rock and ethereal dream pop”. But even at that, you can’t really describe who Cranes are and what they are all about, aside from knowing for certain they got started in 1985 and it’s core members are brother and sister Alison and Jim Shaw.
Probably one of the best (and most accurate) descriptions of Cranes comes via Andy Dolan of Michigan Daily who wrote this in 1995:
“The Cranes have been tagged with more than their share of inaccurate labels over the years, such as “Gothic”, “Ethereal” and even “Industrial”, but just as often, they are more accurately described as a band with a furiously creative drive which allows even their simplest songs to sound beautifully honest and original. But as simple as their music seems, the Cranes have always kept things interesting by giving their music an element of edginess and unpredictability. Some of their songs make their point with no more than three notes played repeatedly on a piano, while others rely on screeching, wailing walls of sound provided by guitarists Matt Cope and Mark Francombe, while still others rely on a clever, sometimes surprising combination of the two. All of these elements are complemented perfectly by Shaw’s unmistakable vocal style and her brother Jim Shaw’s precise and powerful percussion.”
In a nutshell.
Other assessments have been a little less precise, but offer variations on a theme similar to the above:
Much has been made of Alison Shaw’s vocals, with descriptions ranging from “the helium tones of a small child”, “baby-doll-voiced”, and “a mewling, childish wisp of a voice”. One reviewer described the band thusly: “Imagine a small child singing lullabies at the bottom of the well with a background of grinding guitars”.
Whatever impression you come away with you won’t come away feeling ambivalent.
Cranes did go on an extended hiatus in 1998 which turned into disbanding – however, they resurfaced in 2003 and have been going strong ever since.
It’s Saturday – time to go exploring. Cranes in this concert from Switzerland is a good place to get busy.
