The Grand CD Listen Through - Part XII

[the_eggwhite]

Cranes - Loved
I've already mentioned how every cranes album so far is quite different to the ones before? Well, this one's possibly a bit of an exception. It's a lot more like a continual evolution from Forever, but with quite a different mood. Forever felt airy and melancholic, whilst this feels somehow heavier and sturdier. I think this one is also a little bit more inclined to experiment and try things that are a little riskier - which has always been where Cranes have been at their strongest.

Sometimes that's a good thing, other times it feels like the vocals were largely forgotten and instead just tacked on at the end. Only sometimes, though. I'm still not convinved that Pale Blue Sky quite works as a song, though. The vocals and the music feel disconnected in a way that just doesn't quite fit.

In fact, I'd say that this album throws back to all of the previous ones. "Lilies", for example, would have fitted very well indeed on Self-non-self. All it would need to really fit on that album would be to recorded inside a dustbin in the middle of a hailstorm...

Oh, and if you want feelings of loss and melancholy? Give "In The Night" a listen. They'll be along.

Standouts for me would be "Shining Road", "Reverie", "Lilies", "Come This Far", "Paris and Rome" and "In The Night".

Verdict: Keep


Cranes - Population 4
This album returns to the "change of style every time" approach, and leans slightly closer to the mainstream. Only slightly, but there's a distinct lean. The guitar turnings are different too - different enough that even I can tell the difference and know that something's changed there!

As an example, "Fourteen" sounds almost like a normal rock song. Almost. Except for the vocals, of course. Nobody else sounds like Alison Shaw. "Breeze" and "Can't Get Free" could almost be "teen girl with guitar" numbers... except that she's a little older than her teens.

"Stalk" is another slight departure for the band... because Alison steps back to backing vocals and somebody else steps up to sing... I think it's her brother Jim (who's the other core member of the band, usually on guitar) but I wouldn't like to bet on it!

This album, whilst a lot more mainstream, still feels like Cranes and still feels different to the mainstream. It also still occasionally just decides to be a bit odd, such as some of the weird background noises in "Angel Bell". I'm pretty sure they come from a guitar, but those are not noises you'd expect a guitar to make. Not on purpose, anyway. But they work in the song.

It's not my favourite cranes album by a long shot, but it's still good.

Other standouts, besides those mentioned already: "Brazil", "Let Go" (this one rocks!), "Lemon Tree".

Verdict: Keep.


Cranes - Future Songs
Cranes are properly back to being melancholy on this one, and some of the echoey murkiness of earlier albums is back on a couple of tracks... but not on the vocals.

On "Submarine", the instruments seem oddly murky and the vocals are sharp and clear. I have to wonder if that's a deliberate choice, given the song title and the fact that it sounds almost like the bassline is being played underwater (which I don't mean as a knock to the bassline, by the way - it really works for the song!).

On the "different to before" side of things, "Fragile" leaps out and begs for attention. I'm not sure what to say about it, particularly... other than that it's a departure from earlier Cranes stuff. Much more laid back and mellow... which is

Other high points: "Driving in the Sun" & "Everything For".

Also, this album has a song called "The Maker of Heavenly Trousers", which makes it alright by me. Yes, I know it's a literary reference, but I don't care! Not only does it have an awesome title, it's actually a really nice song.

Verdict: Keep.


Cranes - Particles & Waves
I love this album. I'm sorely tempted not to type anything here, because it'd take away from listening to the album. However, the plan is to comment on them all, so here's a coupe of bits.

This is another "slightly more commercial" Cranes album, I think... but it doesn't suffer for it in the slightest. It's well on the way to taking over as my favourite Cranes album, in fact. As an example of it being more commercial, one of the songs ("Astronauts", I think) was even used in a commercial. "Vanishing Point" kicks in with a more mellow, warmer, upbeat sounding Cranes... and the rest of the album follows suit.

"K56" is another striking stand-out track, and "Every Town" leaps up and begs for attention because it's only the second cranes song I've heard where it's not Alison singing the lead. This one works much better than the one on Population 4, and both of them singing together here really works well.

Title track "Particles & Waves" is a rumbling, atmospheric number that's entirely in french. I don't mind. It's very atmospheric, although I would quite like to know what the song's actually about at some point. I'd ask a french speaker to translate, but given how Cranes lyrics work, there's no guarantee that they'd follow them either.

"Far From The City" stands out as being a very, very unusual song... largely because it's the kind of song I wouldn't be surprised to hear covered by other bands. That's unusual for Cranes songs.

Other standout songs are "Avenue A", "Astronauts" (yup, that's the one that was on an advert - an Amex advert with Kate Winslet, in fact.), "Streams" and "Lightsong".

Verdict: Keep. Really, Really Keep.

There's another, more recent Cranes album out there. It's called "Cranes", but I think I might only own it on mp3, not as a Physical CD. I can't remember it well enough to tell how it stands up to the rest. If I do have a physical CD, it's hiding from me. Which means I've cleared the great wall of Cranes... which, I'll warn you now, is barely a warm-up for some of the epic artist collections coming up.

Next up, something slightly different, courtesy of "Crazy Gods of Endless Noise".

Comments

[urizen.livejournal.com]

I really must get my hands on some more Cranes albums. I picked up 'Forever' years ago after you or Linette exposed me to it... I'd be interested to hear their other stuff.

[eggwhite.livejournal.com]

Well, I have pretty much all of it... I'm missing some singles and a (french) spoken word album (La tragédie d'Oreste et Électre).

You're welcome to borrow some at some point...