I actually prefer Loved. Forever gets more attention, but I'm not sure why. I think the songwriting on Loved is much much stronger.

She could be singing gibberish for all I care, her haunting, child-like voice and the evil feedback infused guitars are all I pay attention to.

I prefer Loved, too. But for me it's pure nostalgia, I'm not sure if it's a better album. It was the first thing I heard by Cranes and I saw them play (at the 9:30 Club, loose_lips) when they toured for Loved.

Recently found a wonderful 3 track EP of theirs from the very early 90's that I lost in that time. This track is immense.

Oh there is a Cranes thread. I love them. My favorite is probably 'Wings of Joy', and I'm very fond of their earlier, more industrial colored stuff like 'Fuse' and 'Self-Non-Self'.

Has anybody listened to their conceptual album from 1996. 'La Tragédie d'Oreste et Électre' (Tragedy of Orestes and Electra). It's very good, I mean who wouldn't want to listen to Alison Shaw recite in French. It's based on the Greek myth, but more on Sartre's adaptation. The music is atmospheric enriched with orchestrations and sometimes with dark cabaret vibe. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything on youtube for illustration.

I've been listening to Forever lately and it's telling me that I really need to check out the rest of their material. The Cocteau Twins comparison is spot on.

Early Cocteau Twins, for sure. I'm thinking Treasure specifically. I'm glad someone expanded on that sound, because the Cocteau Twins did a complete 180 after that album. I really wanted more of that sound and Cranes fills that void and then some.

i really dig their whole discography, but this one has been getting a lot of airplay at my house in recent weeks. listen to the original if you can, Cranes just isn't the same in low bitrates...

Their very early catalog is worth checking out, if it can be found. The Self Non-Self mini-album (the first thing they released into the world) is very stark and chilling (tracks like "Beach Mover" and "Nothing In the Middle, Nothing At the End" are airtight, frightening little pieces of music), and the Inescapable EP (the second thing they released into the world after signing to Dedicated Records) is very worth it, and contains another stark chiller, "Dada 331." The Tomorrow's Tears ep is worth finding, too, especially for the ghostly little EP-ender, "Dreamless." And if you're *really* up for looking for rare stuff, Alison Shaw from the Cranes collaborated with Rudy Tambala from A.R.Kane for the short-lived band In Rain. The only thing they released, to my knowledge, was a 2-track 45" on Rough Trade Records, a limited edition release as part of Rough Trade's mail order catalog offered through either Melody Maker or NME in the early '90s.

Personally, I think the Cranes have more in common with the Swans than Cocteau Twins, at least instrumentally speaking, and both Jim and Alison Shaw have often cited Swans as an early influence. I haven't gotten too much into Cranes more electronic stuff. I kind of lost interest after Population 4. Loved Wings of Joy, though, and think "Adrift" from the Forever album is a fantastic song. I've seen them live several times and will attest to their rib-shaking ability on stage. I interviewed Alison once via phone on my radio show in college and she was very sweet. We got back stage to meet her after the Cranes played one of their first US shows in LA. She was again very sweet to us, but very, very stoned. It was after the show and I guess the band needed a bit of a come-down.

Here's another favorite from their fourth album, Loved - "Lillies," live in Rome. They have a bit of a false start at the beginning, but once they get going... chills.

nice write up! i'm incredibly jealous of anyone who got to see them live :)

for what it's worth, most of the their EP b-sides are available on a 2 disc set called EP Collection 1 & 2, published 1997. it's much easier to find than the individual EPs.