I noticed that Cranes have come out with new material. They are also on tour and will be in the Detroit area on May 3. If you never heard of this band I srongly suggest checking them out. Their new cd is excellent. Here is a review I got from allmusic.com http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...=Ampev975skrjt After an extended absence from recording, Cranes returned in 2001 with a slightly different lineup (bassist Paul Smith and drummer Jon Callender replacing long-standing veteran Francombe and Ros for live shows), their own label, Dadaphonic, and a fantastic new album, Future Songs. After the enjoyable if fairly conventional alt-rock effort that was Population Four, Future Songs is an excellent breath of fresh air, not least because it reflects some newer influences and approaches that the Shaws, who recorded the entire collection almost entirely on their own, had discovered and absorbed. While Alison Shaw's immediately recognizable singing voice had remained unchanged in general tone, her words were now heard more clearly than ever, while the refined gloom of Loved took on a new incarnation here, ever more cinematic and elegant than before. Jim Shaw played everything on Future Songs in a harking back to the group's earliest origins (Alison and on one song Tom Hazel contribute some guitar), and it's little surprise that, after 15 years of music-making, his ear for performance and arranging is so fine as it is. "Future Song" itself easily builds on the past — its Cure-like combination of guitar and keyboards so immediately evocative of the early-'90s connection between the two groups. As the album progresses, though, hints of everything from experimental techno (check the beats and bleeps on "Don't Wake Me Up") to classic film soundtracks can be heard in the music. Aside from the brief clatter-collage of "Eight," the brusque industrial harshness of the earliest days is long gone, while even the queasy feel of songs like "Lilies" is now sublimated into a calmer but no less compelling swoon, as heard on "Flute Song." Other highlights of this remarkable album include the low-key guitar quiver of "Sunrise" and the pop-but-not-schlock sweet melancholy of "Fragile" and "Everything For." — Ned Raggett Here's a description of the band: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...=B5ekxikz6bb19 Cranes were one of the major trance-pop/shoegazing groups of the early '90s, combining ethereal vocals and melodies with loud, droning guitars. Cranes were formed by brother and sister Jim (drums) and Alison Shaw (vocals) in 1988 in Portsmouth, England; guitarist Mark Francombe and bassist Matt Cope joined the band two years later. The group independently released their first album, Fuse, on cassette in 1990; a small local label released Self Non Self the same year to good reviews. Both sets of music led to a record contract with Dedicated, an English record label. Later that year, they released their first EP for the label, Inescapable, which earned them a lot of attention, including a Melody Maker cover story; a second EP, Espero, also earned positive reviews, including a Melody Maker Single of the Week. The following year, the band released their first album on Dedicated, Wings of Joy, which received favorable reviews on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as earning the band a sizable cult following, including the Cure's Robert Smith; Smith picked Cranes to open for the Cure on their 1992 world tour, which earned them a larger audience. Forever, the group's second album, was released in 1993. It expanded their cult slightly, yet 1994's Loved found the band in a holding pattern commercially. After releasing the limited-edition Tragedy of Orestes and Electra in late 1996, Cranes returned with Population 4, which was greeted with mixed reviews and found the group's cult shrinking. Self Non Self followed the next year, but then the group took a few years off to rethink their musical direction. Future Songs, released in 2001, is a departure from their former material and step toward a dream pop sound.
Robert, It's nice to see Cranes-related information on the HTF. Might I recommend my roomate's band, Andalusia? I'm not sure how widely available their material is, but they recently finished a west coast tour and are trying to open up for the Cranes at some point. The Cranes/Dinosaur Jr./Cure show at Shoreline in '92 is probably one of the most legendary shows to come out of the last decade. People still talk about it to this day.
I've got Wings of Joy, Forever, Loved, Population 4, and the most recent Future Songs. I've got to say that I didn't like Pop 4 very much. Just bought Future Songs a few weeks ago...I can't stand it. This band is going nowhere fast. Their first few albums were awesome, but that strong point ended after Loved, their best effort. I haven't heard Self-non-self yet. Is it any good, as good as say Forever was?
Maybe you should give Future Songs another chance. I would agree that it is not as good as Loved, which is also my favorite recording from them, but give Future songs a few more playbacks before you make any conclusions. When I first listened to Future Songs it didn't click. On the third and fourth timeI listined to it, I was hooked.
