For the older Cranes fans, you will want this just for the D
K. kanguatjivi | Elmhurst, ny United States | 05/20/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I have always loved the Cranes. I have been a fan since 1991 and first got to see them when they opened for the Cure. Back then they had released the album WINGS OF JOY following a couple of ep's and SELF NON SELF their first LP. At that time, the Cranes had a trademark lush, semi orchestral sound with Allison's childlike plaintive voice crying out from amidst the swirling, screeching, melancholia of piano overtures, distorted guitars and crashing drums. I grew to expect songs like "Star blood" "Sixth of may" and on their later releases "Clear" "Lilies" etc. Those songs were primal in their sullen despairing intensity. In short back then the Cranes had a sound that was completely elemental and different from what most if not all rock bands were producing at that time.
Sadly this is no longer the case.
I was semi disappointed with POPULATION 4. Many of the things that made their music beautiful, unforgettable and elemental, namely Mark Francomb's screeching, wailing, guitar work, Jim Shaw's savage drumming and Allison's heartfelt wails were gone and have been for all the post POPULATION 4 albums. With each successive release post POPULATION 4, the things that made the Cranes a "darkly intense" and ORIGINAL band have been replaced by: actually audible lyrics,
gentle acoustic guitars,
and downright unoriginal electronica instrumentation that would do well as background music for any indie film or even major commercial. After all, "Astronauts" off of this new album has been used for an AMEX commercial.
The other songs, "K56," "Vanishing point" et al, are faithful to their "new" FUTURE SONGS type sound, which is bland indie rock guitars mixed with beeps, organs and soundscapes of poorly crafted ambiance music. Would a song like "Vanishing Point" or "Streams" be memorable in a few years? I think not. A few of the more standard rock songs such as "Avenue A" sound like anemic versions of the pop songs found on POPULATION for like "Cant get free". The best thing about this set is the DVD. The problem is the Cranes are not performers. They are artisans. That means that the concert footage gets monotonous and the slow motion cuts during some songs become annoying.
My suggestion:
Buy
SELF NON SELF
WINGS OF JOY,
LOVED,
FOREVER
and CRANES EP COLLECTION 1 & 2.
Then you will hear how the Cranes ACTUALLY STARTED OUT sounding. You will hear the passion, the intensity, the awe of their music and then you will wonder how they became pale and wan shells of themselves.
Then you can buy this Particles and Waves CD/DVD set, but now you will have bought it for the video footage and to say that you own as much of the Cranes as a true fan aught to, including a signed copy of their Moon City 7 inch which by the way also sounds just as nice played on 33 1/3 speed."
Good album, DVD could have been more, but worth getting over
eric_f | Boston, MA | 09/14/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Particles & Waves" is by far Cranes' most mellow and "chilled out" album. This is definitely NOT driving music. It will probably take even the most devoted Cranes fan at least a few listens to appreciate it. After all, this is Cranes we're talking about here...with the exception of "Population Four," they're as non-commercial as one can get. And "Particles & Waves" basically follows the same format. Alison Shaw's girlish and innocent voice is still the trademark sound of the band, and it goes very nicely with this collection of songs. There really isn't a way to describe the album other than lush, quiet, melodic and relaxed. If you've followed Cranes up until now, you will probably like this one.
And now to the bonus "Live In London" DVD with the tracks "Fragile," "Future Song," "Flute Song" and "Far Away." Of course, any Cranes fan will be pysched that a professionally-shot official live DVD has finally been released. As expected, visual and audio quality are both excellent. I do have one minor issue though, and it's a technical one. The camera keeps on switching to slow motion. I find this irritating and IMO it somewhat takes away from the whole live feel. I would rather just see the band filmed rather than have to sit through these camera tricks. My other gripe is that I don't see why this DVD couldn't have been of a full-lenght concert. But even if we can accept that it's only 4 songs, why couldn't more features have been included such as interviews or other band footage? I really don't mean to sound like a complainer; these 4 songs are great. It's just that the DVD seems too short.
Prior to this U.S. and Canadian release, a much more pricy U.K. import was available, but without the bonus DVD. If you bought that one, the decision as to whether to also buy this version will solely depend on how much of a Cranes fan you are."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1