>>PREVIEW
CRANSTON FOUNDATION
Friday, December 9
Broken City
Of the five smooth operators who compose the ranks of Calgary’s own Cranston Foundation, singer-guitarist Alex Black and bassist Jeremy Dow have the longest history together. Retracing a partnership that reaches back to their earliest musical dabbling in high school, Black feels satisfied that the band’s current incarnation, featuring guitarist Amos Bradley, drummer Jack Abad and vocalist Rick Polson is their strongest to date.
"Jeremy and I go back a dozen years or so. We were always goofing around with music, and as we got older we gradually became more focused and got better. You know how it goes," Black muses. "We used to be called Cranston Field, back in those days. We kept the name for awhile, but after some major sound and lineup changes it was time to renovate, and ‘Foundation’ had a nice ring to it," he says with a laugh, and adds jokingly. "No, we never had any formal affiliation with the Calgary band Field Day, but we are associated with (their guitarist-singer) John Hiebert! Now that we’re comfortably locked in with Rick, Amos and Jack, it feels really good, and I can’t see anything about that changing."
The dynamic energy of the Cranston Foundation’s previous releases, SubUrban and Natural Knowledge, and their reputation for coming through with roof-raising live performances, has distinguished them as an up-and-coming group to watch out for on Calgary’s musical scene. But it is their latest CD, Communicate, that takes them to the next level of artistic achievement.
Engineered under the guidance of award-winning producer Brandon Friesen of Studio 11, Inc., this new effort proves to be quite unlike anything we’ve heard from the Cranston Foundation in the past – 12 tracks of hard chords and smooth grooves augmented with reggae-tinged vocals and psychoanalytical lyrics that probe the brain and elevate the spirit.
The entire album resonates with youthful exuberance and creative talent yet untapped as Black and company tear through songs like "Movement Revolution," "Police" and "Loose Cannon." Surging rock-steady rhythms and metal-drenched power riffs readily intermingle with the combined forces of Polson and Black’s divergent vocals. The real magic behind Communicate is the incredible tightness of the Cranston Foundation’s tempo changes, seamless transitions that shift gears without succumbing to the melodramatic perils of the typical soft-loud route (I’m looking at you, P.O.D.).
"We are definitely into the reggae, but other rap-metal bands have tainted the genre for us. We don’t want to be swept up in that sappy pop category either," says Black of his band’s transformation. "We knew we had to change and evolve out of that oversaturated market. So we agreed to tweak our sound and move it in a natural direction.
"I think we managed to duck out from under that noiseslide, and we’ve worked really hard to avoid being pigeonholed. Rick's spittin’ vocal style gets mistaken for rap by some people, but only a few. Actually, we are getting more into the dub thing, which is more melodic. I think it shows that we’ve matured. "
Giving a nod of the head to the inspiration provided by a divergent variety of sources, including acts such as At the Drive-In and Manu Chao, Alex Black acknowledges that his band has taken on a more sophisticated sound, one that reflects their evolving tastes and sensibilities. The icing on the cake comes in the form of the beautiful artwork that adorns their new album cover. Striking imagery and a tastefully modern colour palette only enhance what is sure to become this local band’s calling card to success.
"Pablo Puentes the bass player from Recipe From a Small Planet, just happens to be a childhood buddy of our bassist, Jeremy,"explains Black. "We asked him to take a listen to our new album and roll with it and see what he could come up with! His mixture of human and animal images was just perfect! Another example of friends helping friends," he says with a chuckle.
"I hope that people will appreciate our new stuff and come to see the fun live and get a preview of what we’re working on next. Whether we’re laying down the hard grooves or mellow vibes, we want the whole thing to appeal to everyone. That’s the solid underlying thing that we’re trying to accomplish, no matter what the mood – your head should be bobbin’." |
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