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Collected Works, Vol. 1 (1989-1997)
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Collected Works, Vol. 1 (1989-1997)
Current price: $44.99
Barnes and Noble
Collected Works, Vol. 1 (1989-1997)
Current price: $44.99
Size: OS
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Cranes
have always occupied a singular space in alternative music -- their songs (and especially
Alison Shaw
's distinctively childlike voice) can be frightening and bewildering at first, but repeated listens reveal them to be as heartfelt as they are mysterious. Their music has constantly evolved and never really stuck to one style or mood, but they've generally been embraced by fans of goth, darkwave, and dream pop (even if "nightmare pop" might sometimes be more accurate). The much-welcome six-CD box set
Collected Works, Vol. 1 (1989-1997)
compiles nearly everything
released on
Dedicated
, the label the band was signed to for pretty much the entirety of the label's existence. Only a handful of stray remixes from that period are missing, and a couple songs from Christmas compilations, if you really want to nitpick. The band's earliest demo tape, 1986's
Fuse
, is also absent, though it was given a stand-alone reissue by the band shortly before the release of the box, as were the group's
Peel Sessions
. Mini-album
Self-Non-Self
, originally released on vinyl by
Bite Back!
in 1989 but later reissued on CD by
, starts the box, tracing the group's beginnings as more of an industrial-influenced art rock group, with
Shaw
's voice often submerged beneath heavy drum machine beats and noisy guitars.
Wings of Joy
,
' 1991 debut full-length, is much more delicate, leaving space for acoustic guitars and neo-classical arrangements but also featuring intense, noisy moments such as the
Swans
-like "Starblood" and the brooding "Sixth of May." 1993's
Forever
was the band's commercial breakthrough, thanks to the success of "Jewel," a heartbreaking song about pining for past love which remains the band's most emotionally affecting moment. While
is the band's most accessible album overall, it still varies in style from the ambient pop of "Cloudless" to the tense shoegaze waltz "Adrift." Several excellent bonus tracks are included, among them two vastly differing versions of "Leave Her to Heaven," longtime supporter
Robert Smith
's exploratory, Eastern-tinged rework of "Jewel," and a dense, sample-heavy industrial dance mix of "Clear" by
J.G. Thirlwell
(
Foetus
).
Loved
appeared a year after
, and largely continues in the same direction, kicking off with the propulsive single "Shining Road" and the surfish twang of "Pale Blue Sky," and also including the harsh, disturbing "Lilies," which best exemplifies the band's "Alice stumbling around a haunted forest" vibe.
La Tragédie d'Oreste et Électre
was originally intended to be released with
as a double album but was ultimately given a limited issue in 1996. It's best approached as its own singular work as it's a clear departure from anything else the band has ever done, consisting of
Jean-Paul Sartre
poems recited over curious neo-classical compositions.
Population Four
, released in 1997 before
went under and
disbanded for a few years, is perhaps their most relatively conventional-sounding alternative rock album, though it still has some marvelous standouts, such as the breezy "Can't Get Free" and the profoundly gorgeous acoustic ballad "Sweet Unknown." ~ Paul Simpson
have always occupied a singular space in alternative music -- their songs (and especially
Alison Shaw
's distinctively childlike voice) can be frightening and bewildering at first, but repeated listens reveal them to be as heartfelt as they are mysterious. Their music has constantly evolved and never really stuck to one style or mood, but they've generally been embraced by fans of goth, darkwave, and dream pop (even if "nightmare pop" might sometimes be more accurate). The much-welcome six-CD box set
Collected Works, Vol. 1 (1989-1997)
compiles nearly everything
released on
Dedicated
, the label the band was signed to for pretty much the entirety of the label's existence. Only a handful of stray remixes from that period are missing, and a couple songs from Christmas compilations, if you really want to nitpick. The band's earliest demo tape, 1986's
Fuse
, is also absent, though it was given a stand-alone reissue by the band shortly before the release of the box, as were the group's
Peel Sessions
. Mini-album
Self-Non-Self
, originally released on vinyl by
Bite Back!
in 1989 but later reissued on CD by
, starts the box, tracing the group's beginnings as more of an industrial-influenced art rock group, with
Shaw
's voice often submerged beneath heavy drum machine beats and noisy guitars.
Wings of Joy
,
' 1991 debut full-length, is much more delicate, leaving space for acoustic guitars and neo-classical arrangements but also featuring intense, noisy moments such as the
Swans
-like "Starblood" and the brooding "Sixth of May." 1993's
Forever
was the band's commercial breakthrough, thanks to the success of "Jewel," a heartbreaking song about pining for past love which remains the band's most emotionally affecting moment. While
is the band's most accessible album overall, it still varies in style from the ambient pop of "Cloudless" to the tense shoegaze waltz "Adrift." Several excellent bonus tracks are included, among them two vastly differing versions of "Leave Her to Heaven," longtime supporter
Robert Smith
's exploratory, Eastern-tinged rework of "Jewel," and a dense, sample-heavy industrial dance mix of "Clear" by
J.G. Thirlwell
(
Foetus
).
Loved
appeared a year after
, and largely continues in the same direction, kicking off with the propulsive single "Shining Road" and the surfish twang of "Pale Blue Sky," and also including the harsh, disturbing "Lilies," which best exemplifies the band's "Alice stumbling around a haunted forest" vibe.
La Tragédie d'Oreste et Électre
was originally intended to be released with
as a double album but was ultimately given a limited issue in 1996. It's best approached as its own singular work as it's a clear departure from anything else the band has ever done, consisting of
Jean-Paul Sartre
poems recited over curious neo-classical compositions.
Population Four
, released in 1997 before
went under and
disbanded for a few years, is perhaps their most relatively conventional-sounding alternative rock album, though it still has some marvelous standouts, such as the breezy "Can't Get Free" and the profoundly gorgeous acoustic ballad "Sweet Unknown." ~ Paul Simpson
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