Two White Cranes - Radisson Blue - Tape (2015)

Labels: Odd Box
Review by: MH

This is one I’ve listened to a bunch of times since it came in. I just hadn’t got around to writing about it yet. Two White Cranes is Roxy Brennan from Trust Fund playing stripped-down songs on an electric guitar for the most part. There is some input from others along the way too so there is more of band feel for some of it although it’s still pared down. I guess it’s kind of indie pop/rock and the pace is slow and measured. There is a raw fragility to the vocals too and the general mood is melancholy. The whole thing is worth your time and I can easily listen to this over and over again from start to finish but I’ll pick out a few of the songs. The sadder “Coach Trip” and “Brighton” which are just Roxy and her guitar were my choice of standout tracks for a while but it’s probably the fragile honesty of “Strange” that wins it for me. After that, the last two tracks are a little rockier particularly the closing track. The more stripped bare and restrained tracks remind me of early Waxahatchee although the electric guitar gives this a different slant to much of “American Weekend”. It took me a while to get around to writing this all down but it’s of the finest full lengths I’ve heard so far this year.