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1997, Last Sigh
The cover of this CD is a little drab — especially compared to the gorgeous cover art that has graced most of Cranes releases so far. However, the cover should discourage no one, for it holds a true treasure inside (26 + 2 of Cranes' best songs, and tracks previously only available on import releases). The inside of the sleeve is a nice fold-out flow chart depicting Cranes' history of releases, with the covers of the individual EP's and albums pictured horizontally on the top half of the sleeve, and the track listing of the compilation listed vertically down the bottom half. Arrows extend from each release to the songs included from it on this compilation. The sequence of the songs is largely kept in chronological order, with the albums Self-Non-Self (1989) and Wings Of Joy (1991), and the EP's Inescapable (1990), Espero (1990), Adoration (1991), Tomorrows Tears (1991) and Adrift (1993) featured on disc one; while the full lengths Forever (1993), Loved (1994), Population Four (1997) and Orestes & Electre (1996) along with the EP's Shining Road (1994) and Jewel (1993) have been delegated to disc two.
While some of Cranes' individual albums at times seem a little repetitive and unvaried in style, this 2-CD set includes most of the best tracks off all their various releases. The compilation illustrates the evolution of their sound, and there is enough diversity between the earlier releases, and the later ones, to make this collection consistently fresh and compelling throughout.
The first nine songs (on volume one) are taken from the first album (Self-Non-Self) and the early EP's (Inescapable, Espero and Adoration). These songs are mostly short and dynamic, with simple, galloping drums and driving guitars that have been subjected to manipulation by pedals, distortion, bottle necks and other effects. Alison Shaw's unique vocal style — as of an adult's memory of what their voice sounded like as a child — is already firmly in place, although she has continued to explore her range and different modes of singing on later records. The mood is often darker and more threatening than on the later albums, and the style is best described as falling somewhere between gothic and shoegazer.
Between 1991 and 1993, Cranes' sound became more mellow and dreamy; the latter tracks on volume one show this development, "Tomorrows Tears" and "Underwater" being good examples with their emphasis on acoustic piano and strings.
On the second disc of the set, the sequence of songs has not been kept strictly chronological. The earliest piece is the rather long "Adoration" off Wings Of Joy, which slowly builds up to a large orchestral sound. The prettiest song ("Jewel") and the most upbeat ("Adrift") from Forever are included, and nicely illustrate the extremes of Cranes' sound at this point in their career. Loved is the most richly represented album with "Shining Road," "Beautiful Friend," and the Flood remixes of "Lilies" and "Paris and Rome." "Shining Rod" and "Lilies" have become hallmark songs at gothic danceclubs with their noisy guitars and fast paced percussion. "Paris and Rome" starts out as a ballad and transforms into a symphony — a homage to the cities of the title.
In 1996, Cranes did an album-length musical interpretation of Jean-Paul Sartre's play The Flies. The two pieces featured from this strange project are the most stylistically divergent on the compilation; Alison sings (or more correctly recites) in French, and the compositions are experimental and utilizes classical instrumentation. These recordings are particularly striking in light of the sound of Cranes' album release from this year — Population Four — which is more minimal and 'mainstream' in sound. Three songs are featured from Population Four, and "Tangled Up" and "Breeze" in particular sound like something off The Jesus and Mary Chain's album Stoned and Dethroned.
Five minutes after the last track, volume two includes an extra pair of tracks labelled on the cover as "?&?" The sound quality of both is rough; and the second is an alternate (demo?) version of the tour de force "Starblood" originally from Wings Of Joy. The guitar on this version has been subdued somewhat, the drums have been favored in the mix, and Alison sounds as if she is singing through a megaphone.
For those only moderately interested in Cranes, this compilation brings together the essence of their first eight years as a band, and, for those who cannot get enough of their music, this is a great opportunity to acquire those rare extra tracks from their EP's.
Reviewed by Michael C. Lund
© Last Sigh 1997
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