 The Cranberries We have a game here at the Loud Bassoon offices called "Music Math" wherein you take an artist and break them down into a simple equation, usually for comic effect. My favorite is probably: The Cranberries = Sinéad O'Connor ÷ Grease. And never has that been more evident than on To the Faithful Departed, which is at the same time the edgiest Cranberries album and the most sing-songy. "When You're Gone," especially, sounds literally like Dolores O'Ríordan trying out for Grease, right down to the background doo-wop vocals. And yet it's definitely one of their best songs, that's what always confuses me about the Cranberries. Until the Cranberries came along, I don't think there was any band that I enjoyed and cringed at so emphatically at the same time. The pure sound of the band is right up my alley, cheesy as it is. I love Sinéad, I love the Sundays, I love The Cure, hell, I love Grease. And yet how can you get around lyrics like "Everything's stinking/Stinking without you?" She sings that line with absolutely no trace of humor. That is right out of "South Park," I think. Yet the melody is so strong and the sound so very appealing, it's hard to resist, like a canister of Pringles. Even if it's one of the nasty flavors, you will tend to eat them anyway. There is not a song on here that doesn't annoy me and please me at the same time. "Salvation" is a kick-ass song in every respect, a total left-field near-punk single no one expected from this band – a great song, yes, and sung in so tremendously annoying a voice you wonder if Dolores is just trying to test how many fans she can lose in two and a half minutes. Another single, "Free to Decide," is a great song, but it's a pro-choice song with a grocery-store-commercial melody. If you're not paying close attention you almost expect a voice-over to come on saying "At Dominick's, you're free to decide what brand is right for you. Our variety and prices will always help you find just the right choice for you and your family." I listen to it and envision a mother with a kid in a shopping cart, trying to choose between two different brands of string beans. Another great song, "I'm Still Remembering," is a very pretty, very honest song that is marred by lines like "Reverse psychology never tainted me," not to mention an abrupt change in focus from the theme of intimacy to addressing whether Kurt Cobain and JFK will be remembered. This is what happens when a band gets too big too fast, and everyone is afraid to tamper with success. Quality control on the lyrics is totally absent. How many times does the word "Sarajevo" need to be used on an album, anyway? Um, can someone besides Dolores answer that one? Of the album tracks, nothing too fantastic – if anything this album makes a much stronger case for a forthcoming greatest hits album than for the album itself. It's very pleasant and listenable in a stereotypically 90s sort of way, but the dippiness of "I Just Shot John Lennon" (which ends with five gunshots that sound more like turntable scratches) and the irritating circus music of "Will You Remember?" kind of sink the ship here. The lyrics are self-righteous, the vocals are indulgent, the music is not groundbreaking. And yet, I bought it. I think there may be a narcotic element to the Cranberries, because I listen to them totally in opposition to my logical faculties.
Review by Turl Whumpsus |