Cranes are a British music group formed in 1986, whose style has been described as "gothic minimalism".
The band's music has been described as "gothic minimalism", although the band themselves disputed the 'gothic' tag. They have also been described as dream pop. In the early 1990s they were briefly lumped in with the "shoegazing" bands of the era.
Much has been made of Alison Shaw's vocals, with descriptions ranging from "the helium tones of a small child", "baby-doll-voiced", and "a mewling, childish wisp of a voice". One reviewer described the band: "Imagine a small child singing lullabies at the bottom of the well with a background of grinding guitars".
