ANGELL & CRANE

For the Living and the Dead

Independent

Simon Angell, guitars/bass/synthesizers; Tommy Crane, drums/percussion/drum programming/synthesizers/vibraphone; Sarah Rossy, voice; Charlotte Greve, alto saxophone.

A song titled, “Twin Machines” opens this album that features guitarist Simon Angell and percussionist/drummer, Tommy Crane.  Angell and Crane spent six days improvising music in a Canadian recording studio and creating tunes.  Crane is a musician who enjoys blending indie rock with jazz and experimental music. This is his first time recording as only a duo.  On the other hand, Simon Angell is comfortable in a duo setting.  In the past, he has worked with his wife, Erika Angell, performing as a duo.

Their first song has an other-worldly presence, with Angell using synthesizer to embellish the arrangement.  The second song, “Swingjugend” shows Angell’s strong tendency towards rock music as Crane holds the rhythm tenaciously in place on drums. Angell and Tommy Crane have been bandmates for over two decades in various settings. Although the tune begins featuring Angell’s guitar very sweetly, it soon morphs into a heavy rock groove. After they laid the skeleton of the song down on tape, Tommy and Simon recorded the driving bass line and drum groove on top of the tracks.  This heavy rock presence continues on a song called “Honguedo.”  Honguedo is a strait between Anticosti Island and the Gaspésie Peninsula.

Angell & Crane feature Sarah Rossy on vocals on a composition they titled “Hesa Fredrik” that represents Sweden’s civil defense siren.  As the song progresses, the siren sound is produced by synthesizer and woven into their arrangement. Rossy’s sweet vocal becomes blanketed by the drums and the synthesizer.  This tune unfolds as experimental rock music that I wouldn’t call jazz. The vocalist appears again on “Unearth” her voice peppermint sweet during a pretty ballad production.

This is a project full of energy, that mixes soundscapes with their individual talents on guitar, bass and drums. With the use of synthesizers and electronic studio enhancements, Angell & Crane have created a style of their own that leans heavily towards experimental music, punk and rock, with shades of jazz throughout.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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