Photo credit: Robbie Jeffers
Having toured with the likes of Neko Case and M. Ward (and acting as the drum double in the brilliant film, Whiplash), drummer Kyle Crane is already a familiar figure on the indie scene and now he’s announced details of his debut solo album ‘Crane Like the Bird’ (out 18 January).
Moving in front of the kit, the record gives Kyle the chance to open up about love, loss, family and the power of memory with candour, style and evocative references. The album features guest performances from Conor Oberst, Luke Steele (Empire of the Sun) and Peter Moren (Peter, Bjorn and John) amongst many others.
To mark the release of the record, there are already two singles out – ‘Nicole’, featuring Band of Horses Ben Bridwell, is a Brendan Benson-meets-They Might Be Giants ode to the songwriter’s sister and the hugely positive impact she has had on his life: ‘Oh you took me and showed me the classics, The Neverending Story and Willow. Played Nintendo to Mr. Bombastic’. This song also touches on mental health issues and praises how Nicole took to being a single mom while at high school and losing the father to a drug overdose: ‘Must run away but you stayed and broke the mold’.
The wistful two-and-a-half-minute ‘Wishing Cap’ features James Mercer of The Shins and opens with a bolt of shoegaze guitars as the lyrics look back on finding a shoebox full of letters in an old room: ‘Anything to feel close to you, anything to feel forever’. The band then discuss going back in time to rectify past mistakes amidst flurries of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-style indie hooks.
