IT'S impossible to approach The Cranberries' In The End without melancholy. Regardless of it's original intention, every lyric on the album is viewed through the prism of Dolores O'Riordan's untimely death last year aged 46.
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The surviving Cranberries farewelled O'Riordan by completing her demos for the Irish band's final album. Given the vocals were taken from demos, the results are further evidence why O'Riordan possessed one of the '90s greatest voices.
Wake Me When It's Over with it's explosive chorus serves as a modern Zombie, while Lost is haunting. O'Riordan was dealing with the collapse of her marriage and bipolar disorder while writing the songs and that despair is clear. O'Riordan is exhausted as she sings on the title track, "Ain't it strange when everything that you wanted/Was nothing that you wanted/In the end."
Despite the sadness, In The End is a fitting finale for a emotive band.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
