Louise Patricia Crane - Deep Blue

 by Zachary Nathanson

Louise Patricia Crane is a name you’ll probably begin to understand. She has taken the aspects between Progressive, Post, and Alternative Rock genres to a whole new level. From her work with The Eden House, Crane wants to go beyond the structures, as far as she can go with her debut solo album, Deep Blue. The genesis of the project started back seven years ago when Louise relocated to Cambridge with producer and musician Stephen Carey at this Stanton Manor studio. What the two of them did was to create something special with her vision and capture some of the storied textures by bringing it to life. And to be allowed to have people like; King Crimson’s Jakko Jakszyk, and Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson to name a few, it shows that they are here to lend not only Stephen and Louise a helping hand, but bringing Deep Blue to life. The four centrepieces that are on this album showcase some of the mysterious twists and turns that are brought to life.
When you listen to ‘Deity’, Louise goes into this strange combination between the Psychedelic, Post, and AOR vibrations between Boston’s Tom Scholz, Simple Minds, and the Revolver-era of the Beatles. With a laid-back late ‘70s/early ‘80s groove Crane brings out her magical powers to life, and reveals to her listeners that her stories have only just begun. ‘Painted World’ is a mournful turned uplifting Celtic Acoustic ballad, giving us an insight waltz with a 4/4 time signature and some Gilmour-sque atmospheres that make the flowers grow larger and larger. Ian Anderson’s flute goes inside the heart of the abyss with ‘Ophelia’ with some of the mystic ambiance that surrounds Louise’s vocalizations. She becomes the voice of the gods by telling the traveller to come back into their time frame before the guitars erupt with an incredible solo section.
Like a dooming Gothic funeral arrangement, ‘Isolode’ gives us a chance to visit these mystical landscapes into some post-rock vibrations as Louise channels The Cure’s Pornography-era, John Foxx, and Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love-era. Like most challenging albums I have delved into this year, Louise Patricia Crane’s debut album was one of the biggest ones I ever tackled. From start to finish, this is her big moment to let her wings spread out and fly. While it may not be everyone’s cup of coffee per se, Crane has come a long way to bring her debut solo album to life. And were my ears ready to explore Louise’s story-telling arrangements? Absolutely. So I will be on the lookout for her next work in the years to come in the roaring ‘20s.

Ripped to MP3

01. Deity
02. Snake Oil
03. Painted World
04. Cascading
05. Deep Blue
06. Ophelia
07. Isolde
08. The Eve Of The Hunter