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7th March 1997, Fluxeuropa.com
1997 sees the release of the sixth Cranes LP, Four, and it seems that Population whilst some main-stream artists have gone a bit avant-garde the Cranes have gone pop! The traditional noisy industrial style is still there: it's just that the pop stuff is more obvious because it's unexpected. And while the pop songs are very poppy, they still somehow sound as if they'd never appeal to the average person. Maybe it's that twist of weirdness which is an ingredient in every Cranes song.
The CD starts with the acoustic, dreamy 'Tangled Up' which is in the customary Cranes style but stripped of the usual samples. 'Fourteen', the first of the songs that could be considered pop, has a rough guitar sound and thumps along quite heavily when the drums come in. 'Breeze' is a bit more palatable for pop fans although there's still something different about it. Maybe the world's not yet ready for Alison Shaw's helium vocals! 'Can't get Free' is my personal favourite and probably the best one to do the ironing to, although don't be surprised if your shirt gets slightly burnt.
The first song in the old Cranes mould is 'Angel Bell', and the further one gets into it the darker it becomes, with a screeching, sliding guitar and thundering drums. Also there's 'Let Go' which starts off slowly but you sense something is soon to erupt and it does. So although long-time Cranes fans may be a bit miffed at first, your confidence will be restored by the end of the CD and the pop will have you addicted by the third play. This album is definitely the Cranes' best and most varied production to date.
On 13 February 1997 Cranes did one of their first UK gigs in nearly eighteen months, at London's Kings College. (Click here for a picture and use your browser's back button to return to this page.) It consisted mainly of songs from Population Four and the more poppy stuff blended in well with everything else. We were also treated to some old classics such as 'Adrift', 'Lilies', 'Far Away', 'Jewel' and the mighty 'Starblood'. The show was absolutely outstanding: the criminally underrated Cranes are one of the best live acts on the planet.
Reviewed by John Marshall
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