A five-year hiatus, a couple of solo albums and countless compilation albums later, The Cranberries finally decided to reunite and get back into the studio. Apparently, a lot of the song ideas they had for the follow-up to “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” have found a place in their first release in a decade, simply titled “Roses”.
A number of songs on this album seem to belong to another era when ‘alternative rock' fans had different expectations. Dolores O'Riordan's vocals on album opener Conduct transports you back in time. There's more of that with uplifting tracks such as Tomorrow, which is classic jangle pop about being young and foolish; in short, the usual themes. The album progresses without anything too remarkable till Schizophrenic Playboy comes on. Incredibly catchy with guitarist Noel Hogan's strumming set to some interesting string section arrangements. The chorus on this song is certainly one that sticks.
The string section stays on for Waiting in Walthamstow with O'Riordan whispering darkly over some essentially folk rock beats. Show Me follows the previous tracks with strong, catchy choruses. Astral Projections can best be described as dream pop.
The self-titled Roses starts with “Life is no garden of roses”, with a lingering rhythm to confirm the reflective tone the album closes with.
It is unlikely that The Cranberries will attract any new fans with this album; but for those who loved Zombie, this album will be an absolute delight. They have clearly stopped caring about the days they were branded a one-hit wonder. On ‘Roses', there is enough originality that rebukes that unnecessary tag.
Bottomline: An album that seems to belong to another era when ‘alternative rock' fans had different expectations
Roses; The Cranberries, Cooking Vinyl/Virgin Records, Rs. 395
