Cranes - Population four

This is the Cranes who have been around for a while, but this is their first release for several years. It’s well crafted and the songs compliment one another nicely.

They start off simply with little more than an acoustic guitar and the singer’s voice. As the album progresses the guitar becomes heavier and the drums more incessant. The album evolves as you go through it, although it never becomes deep or pretends to contain any hidden subtleties.

The lead singer, Alison Shaw, has a melodic munchkin’s voice, which while cute, must give her no end of trouble when trying to get into clubs ("But I am over 18...etc"). In some songs she does manage to develop a sorrowful ethereal tone which adds some depth to the otherwise limited feeling of the album.

The other musicians are capable enough but nothing special. Even though their songs are well written by the standards of indie pop, the want for emotional drive, will consign this album to the black hole of mediocrity. Angel Bell stands out for its cow-laughing-through-a-kazoo like sound effects but, again, the instrumental sections fail to hit the spot.

What we have here is the Castlemaine XXXX of the music world; listenable, fun but ultimately watered down and forgettable.(6)

Dave