Being a bit short on time and cash, I haven't been able to check out as much new music and I would like. I am keeping a running list in my head of things I really need to hear. Right now, Particles and Waves from Cranes is at the top of this list.
You may remember a post from over the summer tracing my hatred of Dinosaur Jr. back to the time the band opened up for the Cure at the Rose Bowl in 1992. That same show marked my introduction to Cranes. I had seen a few videos from the band on Request Video prior to the concert, but it wasn't until I heard them play against June heat late one Saturday afternoon that I fell for the band.
Particles and Waves is the band's seventh full-length, released last week in the U.S. and Canada through Manifesto Records. From the clips I have heard on the band's website, it is as good as any Cranes release could be, with Alison's voice still fragile after more than a decade, still mixing glee and heartache against fuzzy guitars and keyboards that sound more like the cheery-psyche stuff of college radio than the sleazy-cool club vibe.
Cranes are working on another new album, which will hopefully be released next year through Manifesto, at which point the band hopes to tour the U.S.