CRANES Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Cranes' third album, Loved offers the band's unique blend of alternative rock, shoegaze, dream-pop, and darkwave. Released in 1994, it solidified Cranes' reputation for crafting beautifully orchestrated and constructed songs that evoke a strange and powerful atmosphere. Fresh off their tour opening for the The Cure in late 1992, Cranes returned to their gothic roots while still maintaining the essence of their previous album, Forever. The album shows a variety of musical styles and emotions, Loved is a masterpiece of minimalistic perfection, seamlessly blending gothic ether and shoegaze droning. Even decades later, its beauty remains timeless. Cranes evoke a longing for connection amidst dreamy atmospheres. Unexpected bursts of sonic exaltation punctuate the album, adding to its magnificence. Now available as a 30th-anniversary edition on white marbled vinyl, Loved is a must-have for fans of Cranes and anyone who appreciates finely crafted alternative music. With only 1000 individually numbered copies, this edition is sure to become a collector's item for enthusiasts of the band's distinctive sound.

Review: Dadaphonic has a key reissue on their hands with Cranes debut album Fuse. The Cranes was a groundbreaking alternative band from New Hampshire that was led by the brother and sister duo Alison Shaw & Jim Shaw. Their popularity grew as the late 80s turned in the early 90s culminating with an opening slot on The Cure's Wish Tour in 1992. Perfectly blending with Cure in many respects, the Cranes would be re-labeled as Dream Pop in retrospect. Fuse was originally put out in 1986 as a cassette only album. Strangely, 38 years later it was still not brought out on other formats. Until now! This album shows the band in its infant stage honing their craft while longtime fans love the rawness of their early days. This album was remastered for this release to celebrate Fuse finally getting a wider release. Fans of dreampop, goth and alternative music will extremely interested in this important release.

Review: It's 1993 and everything is different from today. But one thing that has remained constant between then and now is the sublime work presented on this, the second studio album from English troupe Cranes. Stopping well short of becoming overblown, while confident enough to break through the restraints that can often make music like this feel inauthentic, the Portsmouth-formed outfit hit the nail on the head when it came to the emerging dream pop scene at the time this was released. Then they flipped expectations on their head. So while numbers like 'Cloudless' and 'Far Away' effortlessly create opiate atmospheres, making listeners feel like they're cruising into the stratosphere, not a care in the world, there's plenty to drag you back down to the grit and grime of Earth, too. 'Clear', 'Sun & Sky' and 'Adrift' all take us to places close to garage rock, only with added density and an air of the cinematic.