Alison Shaw

About Alison Shaw

Alison Shaw is an English singer and guitarist. She is the frontperson for the band Cranes, which she formed with her brother Jim in 1985. The band's music has been described as "gothic minimalism", although the band have disputed the "gothic" label. In the early 1990s, they were briefly included as part of the shoegazing movement of the era. They have also been described as dream pop. They opened for the Cure on that band's 1992 Wish tour, and have been considered close associates with that band ever since.

Alison's eerie and disquieting vocals are considered the most distinctive aspect of Cranes' sound. Descriptions of her voice range from "the helium tones of a small child", "baby-doll-voiced", and "a mewling, childish wisp of a voice". One reviewer described the band thusly: "Imagine a small child singing lullabies at the bottom of the well with a background of grinding guitars". The combination of Alison's voice with the band's dark shoegaze/goth/darkwave backing creates the feeling of a disturbing, half-remembered dream.