MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL Review

INSOUND..Stuff we like...Feature

NEW BAND OF THE WEEK! Insound staffers seek out new music constantly. Between the hundreds of music submissions we get per week and the new bands and labels we're always reaching out to, we stumble upon some really great stuff. Each week, we will be picking one lesser-known band that we particularly love. This week, Jory get wasted on the post-punk nostalgia of Cobalt Cranes.
What is immediately evident about In Media Rez is the harmonization of the L.A. quartet's nostalgic post-punk garage rock attitude with a forward-thinking sense of stylized and soulful execution that never once over the span of the four tracks caves in to overly pretentious art excess. And if you're a sucker for dynamic boy/girl vocals like me, you'll love Tim Foley whose affected sneers have a slightly Cobain-esque drawl and Kat Betuel who holds and howls her notes like a young Exene Cervenka on a good night. The end result is an EP that boasts and squalls with an energy that is classic cool and is the perfect antidote for all those nights you spent pensively listening to quiet indie-rock in a vain attempt to reconnect with your sensitive side. "Freak Out" will put you front and center at your favorite dive. "Take You" will reintroduce whiskey to your coke. "Messy" is the brawl you'll get into in the parking lot. And you'll wake up the next morning with "A Picture in the Snow." Yes, I've got a strangely good feeling about Cobalt Cranes. Just wait until it happens to you.

- By Jory Dominguez

INSOUND.COM

Portland Mercury Write up!

"As they cruised into Oregon on their first West Coast tour, Cobalt Cranes immediately Twittered, "What is the deal with the gas stations here?" Let's forgive the band's pompousness at the pump in order to enjoy their musical offerings. A foursome with a distinctly Los Angeles-tinged take on the fuzzy garage rock so prevalent these days, Cobalt Cranes' tracks sound slick despite stylized distortion and clashing cymbals. The Sonic Youth-esque male/female vocal split between drawling Tim Foley and honeyed Kate Betuel anchors their songs among the crunchy guitar of Mateo Leonardo and steady drumming from Danny Rossi. With recordings limited to tape compilations and a 7-inch released by French label Frantic City, Cobalt Cranes plan to self-release their upcoming EP in the Portland DIY style. That's how we do it up here. Just not when it comes to gas."

MARANDA BISH

The Portland Mercury

WEST COAST 2010 SUMMER TOUR

Extravaganza! Magazine (Chile) Write up....

"...paintings of Los Angeles with distortion, images that speak of sex and drugs in a crummy bar....
...they connect the guitar to the radio and make rock and roll..."


Rolando Inostroza

extravaganza! Magazine

Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow on KSPC 88.7 FM from 6-8 PM

TRIPWIRE.com review

Truth: Two nights ago we drank three glasses of wine and played Dinosaur Jr’s “In a Jar” like six times in a row (singing along, obviously). Based on this song’s boozy dirge-iness, we have a feeling Cobalt Cranes has either done something similar, or at least would be down if we BBM’d them to come over and hang out with us while doing just that. Sure, we’d make them leave by 11:30 (we have to work in the morning), but we’d secretly play “Picture in the Snow” over and over after they left, reveling in its distorted fuzz heartbeat and picturing ourselves sauntering around the streets of LA, mean mugging. Sometimes the best music makes you nostalgic for things you’ve never done.

You can listen to "Picture in the Snow"
here
http://www.thetripwire.com/listen/2010/04/21/premiere-cobalt-cranes-picture-in-the-snow/

Premiere: Cobalt Cranes,

Premiere: Cobalt Cranes, “Picture In The Snow”

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In Media Rez review from the Pittsburg Daily News

In Media Rez review from the Pittsburg Daily News
COBALT CRANES,
“In Media Rez”
(Anticc) ✰✰✰1⁄2
— We’re all busy, right?
But who doesn’t have
10 minutes to spare
in exchange for being
doused with noisy,
fuzzy L.A. post-punk that’ll probably leave
you wondering why the serving’s so small?
You’ll get that from Cobalt Cranes and
their four-track EP “In Media Rez” that
might leave you feeling a little dirty but
won’t exactly have you sprinting for the
showers.
Kate Betuel and Tim Foley trade vocal
duties, though never does this sound
like one of those guy-girl clichés, as they
pound on the lo-fi rock that’s somewhere
in between the Dum Dum Girls and
Interpol.
“Freak Out” kicks off with a stoner
vibe that bleeds right into “Take You,” a
gazey little thing that’s simple and catchy.
“Picture in the Snow” offers a rousing end
to this quickie, as Foley twangs his plea,
“Put your arms around me,” assuring most
listeners will do just that.
I can’t wait to hear the full-length. (BK)

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Write up in LA WEEKLY

LA WEEKLY
WEST COAST SOUND
By Chris Martins

​"West Coast Sound knows what you're thinking, and it goes something like this: "For Troggs' sake, there are more garage-rock bands in this city than there are garages! Do these Stooges really think we need another?" Yes, we do -- call us Iggynoramuses, but we think this MP3 from local trio Cobalt Cranes deserves some love.

Following a gust of fuzzy etherea, "Take You" affects a melancholy grind that improves upon the Raveonettes' sound even as it hearkens back to something a bit more classic (the Vaselines, perhaps?)...."

You can read the rest here:

LA WEEKLY

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