Formed at the end of the eighties by brother and sister Jim and Alison Shaw, CRANES have been supplying sheer class and personality to the Uk scene for more than a decade. Their popularity peak came in the early nineties thanks to the irresistible gleam of records such as "Wings of joy" (1991) or "Forever" (1993). Despite being completely different to any other contemporary band, they were pigeonholed in the then-trendy "shoegazing" movement led by MY BLOODY VALENTINE; maybe because their songs sometimes featured a thick wall of guitars.
But CRANES had two very distintive elements: Alison Shaws ghostly, childlike vocals and a general inclination towards oppresive, gloomy atmospheres; this probably endeared the band to Mr. Robert Smith himself: not only he declared a true follower of CRANES, but also invited the band to open for THE CURE in a tour.
Another highlight was 1994s "Jewel" twelve-inch, including remixes by Jim Thirwell (FOETUS), Ivo Watts-Russell (4AD manager and the talent behind THIS MORTAL COIL) and the aforementioned Robert Smith. In Spain, we all remember their appearance at the first edition of Benicassim Festival in 1995. They closed the festival with a haunting performance most of the audience must still bear in mind.
Their subsequent albums would be more ethereal ("Loved", 94), experimental ("La Tragedie DOreste et Electre", 96) or guitar-oriented ("Population four", 97). After the debacle of Dedicated, the label that released their music almost from the start, CRANES face a new beginning with the creation of their own label Dadaphonic and the release of their new album "Future songs" (2002). This album shows a much more luminous band than the preceeding works. Alisons lost-litte-girl vocals are stil as magic and haunting as usual.
The two songs included in this single were composed and recorded in 1998 but they were not released so far. "The moon city" is crystaline and slow-paced, leaving aside the bands darkest and heaviest moments to bring us a wonderful, elegant song. "Its a beautiful world" is an acoustic whisper build up on guitar and vocals. But when the vocals are so impressive, who needs anything else?
Elefant Records exclusively brings you two unreleased tracks of one of the most personal, haunting bands around.