tek's rating: 
This is an Irish alternative/dream pop band from Limerick that formed in 1989, under the name "The Cranberry Saw Us". They changed their name to "The Cranberries" in 1990 when Dolores O'Riordan replaced Niall Quinn as the lead singer. They disbanded in 2019, following O'Riordan's death the year before.
Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?
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This is the band's first full-length album, released in 1993. It was re-released in 2002 with six more tracks, and had a super deluxe, 4-disc release in 2018. But I just have the original version, which I'm reviewing in 2024.
1. "I Still Do": I kind of remember having listened to this before, which is unusual for me with songs that weren't released as singles. It's pretty enough, but a bit depressing.
2. "Dreams": This is the first single, released several months before the album, in 1992. It remains probably my all-time favorite Cranberries song. Very dreamy and romantic. (So it's aptly named.) I'd probably rate it about two hearts.
3. "Sunday": This one is also memorable, though I didn't recognize it until more than a minute into the song.
4. "Pretty":
5. "Waltzing Back":
6. "Not Sorry":
7. "Linger": This is the second single, released a couple weeks before the album. It might be the band's biggest hit, and I like it a lot, even if it's note quite my favorite. It comes close, though. It's really not a happy song, but it's pretty. (Well, it's practically impossible for O'Riordan to sing a song that's not pretty. I just love her voice.)
8. "Wanted":
9. "Still Can't...":
10. "I Will Always":
11. "How":
12. "Put Me Down":
Most of the songs I have nothing to say about except that I like them. I think upon listening to the album, probably all the songs are at least a little bit memorable to me (some more than others). It makes me wonder how many times I listened to this CD, back in the day. I don't usually listen to albums often enough to remember so many songs on them. But at least I find myself not remembering songs until I listen to them. There are really only two songs on the album that I remember independent of the album, "Dreams" and "Linger". Though I did kind of expect to remember "I Still Do". I was surprised about all the other songs sounding familiar. Anyway, the whole album is really good, even if the two singles remain my favorites.
No Need to Argue
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This is the band's second studio album, released in 1994. There are a few different versions of the album with more tracks, but I just have the original version. It's their best selling album, but I still slightly prefer their first.
1. "Ode to My Family": This is the second single off the album. Before I listened to the CD in 2024 I wasn't sure if I'd remember it, but I do. And I like it a lot.
2. "I Can't Be with You": This is the third single, but I don't remember it at all.
3. "Twenty One"
4. "Zombie": This is the album's first single and most memorable track. (It's not actually about zombies.) It's a protest song about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. I don't feel like the song takes a side in the conflict, it just seems to be against war/terrorism in general. (Of course, I could be wrong.) Anyway, it's an emotionally powerful song, and more hard rock than the band's usual fare.
5. "Empty"
6. "Everything I Said"
7. "The Icicle Melts"
8. "Disappointment"
9. "Ridiculous Thoughts": This is the fourth single, but I don't remember it at all.
10. "Dreaming My Dreams": This is one of the softest songs on the album, and more in what I think of as the band's usual style than the other tracks. At least, based on the sound of the first album.
11. "Yeat's Grave": This title irks me a little bit because it should be "Yeats's Grave". But that's not important. It's still a decent song, with a bit of poetry mixed in.
12. "Daffodil Lament": This is the longest song on the album, at 6:14, and it seems to have a few different parts to it, each with different sounds.
13. "No Need to Argue": This is another really soft and sweet song. It's also one of the shortest tracks on the album. I can't quite tell what it's about, but it seems kind of sad, maybe.
Unlike the first album, only two of the songs on this one were familiar to me: "Ode to My Family" and "Zombie". So I probably listened to this album a lot less than the first one. Nevertheless, all the songs sound good, because O'Riordan can't not sound good (as I've said before).
tek's rating: ½
To the Faithful Departed
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This is the band's third studio album, released in 1996. I have the U.S. version, which has 13 tracks, vs the 15 tracks on the original release. There's also a version from 2002, with 19 tracks.
1. "Hollywood": Upon my re-listen to the album in 2025, this was fairly familiar. I'm not really sure what it's about, but it sounds rather dark. I like it well enough.
2. "Salvation": This is the first single off the album. I remember it pretty well, and I like it. It's basically an anti-drug song, and rather catchy.
3. "When You're Gone": This is the third single, and the song I remember best from the album. Whereas the first two songs are rock, this one is softer and prettier. It's also rather sad, but it's one of my favorite Cranberries songs.
4. "Free to Decide": This is the second single, and one I also find memorable. Listening to it in 2025, I can't help thinking it sounds very '90s, and I mean that in a good way, of course.
5. "War Child": This is another rather soft song. It's basically anti-war, and sad. I like it.
6. "Forever Yellow Skies": Another song I didn't remember until I listened to it again. And I like it.
7. "The Rebels": Another song I only remembered when I listened to it. I think it's about nostalgia. Or something. I dunno. But it's good.
8. "I Just Shot John Lennon": This is one of the songs I remember the most from the album, for some reason. Well, part of it is memorable, anyway. And it's pretty dark, as you might expect from the title. And it ends with gunshots.
9. "Electric Blue": This starts out sounding sort of medieval or something, and like, religious, I guess. There's some Latin in it, but it's mostly English. I'm not sure what it's about, but I like it.
10. "I'm Still Remembering": I think this has something to say about marriage, but I'm not sure what. Anyway, it sounds good, like all Cranberries songs.
11. "Will You Remember?": This is another memorable song, with a kind of carnival vibe that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the lyrics. I definitely like it.
12. "Joe": This is, for me, one of the least memorable songs on the album, but it's not completely unfamiliar. And it's still good.
13. "Bosnia": This is the longest track on the album, at 5:40. It has something to do with Sarajevo. I guess it's probably about war. Parts of it sounds rather ethereal, and parts are... louder. I almost want to call it orchestral, in some places, but simpler in others. Yeah, the sound of the song is kind of all over the place, in a good way. It seems rather sad, though.
So... there were a lot of songs I only remembered upon re-listening, but none of them were really unfamiliar. All of them were good, but there's only one I really love. As a whole, I rather like the album.
