In The End is the eighth, and final, studio album from The Cranberries. The Irish alt-rockers achieved much success in the US in the early 90s, their debut Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We going 5x Platinum in the United States, among global accolades. They kicked around on the Adult Contemporary charts for a while, broke up and reunited. The untimely death of singer Dolores O’Riordan in early 2018 brought a sudden halt to the proceeds, leaving the remaining members of the group to finish the record they all had started. It’s impossible to listen without looking for hidden meanings in the lyrics, delivered as vocal demos mere hours before O’Riordan’s death. Produced by Steven Street (The Smiths, Blur), In The End sounds closest to their mid-90’s records, with big jangly riffs and stadium-sized drum fills. “Wake Me Up When It’s Over” demonstrates the band’s unique taste on post-punk, the dynamic vocals sounding like a sunnier Siouxie. “Illusion” features spectral backing vocals swallowed by reverberating bass, “Catch Me If You Can” is urgent piano and gated strings. “In The End” closes out the album with acoustic guitar and vocal vamps, a suitable capstone for the group. This record is pressed on transparent cranberry red colored vinyl. 

• transparent cranberry red vinyl pressing
• gatefold sleeve
• limited edition
• music label: BMG 2019

reviewed by OCEAN SPRAY 05/2019