R.I.P. Caroline Crawley
Caroline Crawley, one half of the ’80s UK duo Shelleyan Orphan, died yesterday. Her bandmate Jemaur Tayle made the announcement on the duo’s Facebook page. No cause of death has been given.
Crawley and Tayle formed Shelleyan Orphan in the English city of Bournemouth in the early ’80s. As Shelleyan Orphan, they developed a baroque, string-laden form of alternative pop, one that took Kate Bush’s romanticism to more gothy places. They released their early singles “Cavalry Of Cloud” and “Anatomy Of Love” on Rough Trade in 1986, and their debut album Helleborine in 1987.
Shelleyan Orphan would release three more albums before breaking up in 1992. They’d also open for the Cure on tour, and Crawley would sing on a few songs from This Mortal Coil’s 1991 album Blood. After the duo’s breakup, Crawley formed a new band called Babacar, which Tayle would later join. Shelleyan Orphan reunited in 2000 to contribute a song to a Tim Buckley tribute compilation, and they released one more album, We Have Everything We Need, in 2000. Below, watch some videos of Crawley’s work.