Craniums

See also: Cranium

Cranes is a British group of Rock, which was formed in the middle of the Eighties with Portsmouth. The name of the group refers to innumerable the mechanical cranes (“English cranium”) which dominated the port of Portsmouth until in the Nineties.

The constant characteristic of the group is the song of the singer Alison Shaw, frail child wife with the particular voice, near to that of the French singer Vanessa Paradis. The musical style evolved/moved of a Gothic Rock rather dark and brutal, dominated by the guitars with environments much calmer and worked.

Career

The group was formed around Jim and Alison Shaw, when Alison, ghost of the university, discover that his/her brother musician has the same musical tastes as it. The duet publishes a cassette, Fuse , in 1986 and begins on scene in 1987. A second album leaves in 1989, Coil-Not-Coil .

The group is packed then by recruiting Mark Francombe and Matt Cope. It is located by John Peel which makes them play a Peel Session on BBC. That accelerates the career of the group which publishes off its album Wings Joy and several EP S: Inescapable (1990), Espero (1990), Worship (1991) and Tomorrow' S Tears (1991). The group The Cleans, allures by these discs, recruits them to ensure the first part of their Wish Tour the U.S.A. and in Europe in 1992. This round inspires with the group the album Forever , one of best of Craniums (regularly classified n°1 in the surveys makes near the fans of the group). The title of the album is drawn from the name of a song of The Cure, which then was regularly played at the time of the recalls. With at least an occasion (Dublin), the Craniums joined the Cure besides on scene at the time it recall to interpret this song together. Collaboration with The Cure will continue even beyond the round, when Robert Smith produces a remix of one of the titles of the album (" Jewel"). There exist various versions of this disc. On the one hand a version which includes/understands a disc no-claims bonus of 4 titles, of which " At Sea" , " Slide" and two version instrumental of " Wings off Joy" and " Song" Trumpet;. The other version collector of " Forever" is a second disc of remixes pieces of the opus in question.

The album Loved (1994) falls under the continuity of Forever . It is about the last album in which the guitars have as much importance. Following the round, the group records an UFO then: the tragedy of Oreste and Electra (June 1996), which takes as a starting point the novel by the writer and French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre " Mouches". On an original music of the group, the texts of Sartre are recited in French, language that Alison studied at the university. This album passes unperceived and it is today difficult to get a specimen of it.

The album Population 4 (1997) mark a progression towards an increasingly accessible, alleviated and acoustic music and a song more articulated of Alison, which makes it possible to include/understand the words. In the same way, For the first time, the group places at the disposal the words songs. Use of the " term; F*ck" in the words of " Tangled Up" will start a debate between the fans on the official forum of the group. A little later, the group leaves the book " Til the Star shine" (December 1998) which reproduces a selection of words of songs.

In 1997, the group leaves its first compilation Ep Collection , in double album. The first disc gathers various songs which were available only on of EPs, while the second constitutes Best off career of the group, and ends in two songs no-claims bonus, including one remix of " Starblood". The disc makes it possible to find the songs of quality which the group had taken the practice to include opposite B its individual, like " Leave Her to Heaven" and " September".

The year 1998 is one year dark for the fans of The Cranes. Except for three concerts in Switzerland, the group is put in hibernation and must manage changes within the formation (departure of Manu and Francombe Mark). The group will continue however to ensure in the concerts, but the account-drop and in Europe only,

After a four years hiatus, Cranes returns with a partially renewed formation. The albums Future Songs (2001) and Particles and Waves (2004) profit from critical warm welcome. The music became softer and atmospheric, just synthetizers, well far from the guitars saturated with the first albums of the group. The last disc studio of the group is also available on the US market in a special version which integrates in no-claims bonus a dvd few titles live. It should be noted that following the conflict with the recording company (Dedicated), the group assembled its own label " Dadaphonic" to distribute its music. For the time being, Cranes is the only group of the label.

Between these two albums, Cranes left its Live in Italy (2003) to quality the recording unfortunately too insipid. In addition, Alison Shaw took part in the project Trash Palace in 2002. She interpreted the song " there; Your Sweet Love" , soft song on a beautiful electro tablecloth in the spirit of the compositions (then to come) of " Particles And Waves".

In January 2007, the group put on sale an extract in its concert at Paradiso of Amsterdam in 1991. This recording is only available under digital form and can be bought only on Internet. Seven pieces are available, of which the new " Song" slow fox trot;.

Currently, the video clips intended for the promotion of individual are still not available in dvd (nor even in VHS besides). Following the conflict with Dedicated, which requires far too much money, the group cannot propose a compilation of its vidéos-clips.

Formation

  • Jim Shaw: guitar, sometimes song (battery until 1996)
  • Alison Shaw: song (sometimes low)
  • Paul Smith: low, guitar and keyboards (since 1997)
  • Jon Callender: battery (since 1999)
  • Francombe Mark: guitar, low, keyboards (of 1990 to 1999)
  • Matt Cope: guitar (of 1990 to 1996)
  • Manu Ros: battery (of 1996 to 1999)

Discography

EP Collection, vol. 1 & 2 is without any doubt the ideal disc to discover the Cranium music, even if the selection does not testify there to the recent evolutions of the music of the group.

Albums

  • Fuses (cassette, 1986) off

  • Coil-Not-Coil (1989)
  • Wings Joy (1991)
  • Forever (1993)
  • Forever Remixes (1993)
  • Loved (1994)
  • the tragedy of Oreste and Electra (1996)
  • Population 4 (1997)
  • EP Collection, vol. 1 & 2 (1997)
  • Future Songs (2001)
  • Live in Italy (2003)
  • Particles and Waves (2004)

EPs

  • Inescapable (1990)

  • Espero (1990)
  • Worship (1991)
  • Tomorrow' S Tears (1991)
  • Jewel (1993)
  • Shining Road (1994)
  • Can' T Get Free (1997)
  • The Moon City/It' S.A. Beautiful World (7" , 2002)
  • Submarine (2002)

Anecdotes

  • the piece Astronauts of the album Particles and Waves was used basic musical for publicity for American Express in which Kate Winslet plays.
  • At the time of the concert given by The Cleans in Paris in 1992, Robert Smith replaced on scene Alison Shaw, suffering, interpreting with the guitar the parts having to be sung by Alison!
  • Cranes recorded only one resumption of all its career: " Happy X-farmhouse (War is Over) " of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

External bonds

  • the official site of Craniums
  • Site of fan documented well

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