Ok this thing has been neglected for long enough. Time to get it rolling again, I have plenty of albums to cover.
Early Childhood
The Cranberries - No Need To Argue
This particular album marks the first bit of music that I can truly say was my own. Yep, I was around 6 or 7 years old, I had just received a Sony Walkman (the cassette kind – for you kids out there, we used strips of magnetic tape in the 80's/early 90's to listen to music...especially when traveling since the affordable CD players skipped like a mofo), and I was set to go with my first ever album. The first notes to grace my ears through those headphones were from the Cranberries and their album No Need To Argue.
Obviously, I had to get this recommendation from somewhere. What 6 year old is going to grab the Cranberries off the shelf? At this time, I started taking all my musical queues from my much older half sister. Basically, anything she had I had to have, too. I would only see her on very sporadic weekends, so she always seemed like some sort of enigmatic sage of coolness (especially since she was so much older than me). She started raving about the Cranberries and how they were her favorite band, so they automatically became my favorite band as well.
Thankfully, the music was actually pretty good! This particular album has actually been lost in time to me for quite a while. In fact, I hadn't listened to it for years and years until I decided to write this. As I listen to it, it is bringing back so many childhood memories. I can't even describe the level of nostalgia this album is putting me through right now. This is why I freaking LOVE music. For those unfamiliar with their music, they are an Irish pop rock/alternative band formed in 1989. They broke up in 2003, but reformed last year. Honestly, I haven't kept up with them at all. Their first hit came from their debut “Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?” with the song Linger. What I love about the band is they manage to maintain a decent balance of pop, rock, and alternative. There are even subtle moments of dreampop and shoegaze in some of their songs. No Need To Argue is an incredibly balanced album. I can't say there is a bad song on the entire thing. It also has its fair share of eclecticism, running the gambit from subdued (Ode To My Family, Disappointment) to in your face rock (Zombie). For the longest time, I felt Zombie was the most bad ass song in existence. In true 90's style, the album is rife with jangly guitars and nary a keyboard. Another thing I loved was how distinctly Irish Dolores O'Riordan's vocals are. I'm not sure how it would sound to someone from Ireland, but to me she has a truly unique voice. I was wondering how all of this would sound after being away from it for so long, and I am quite pleased. This album still holds up, and is worth a listen if anything I just described strikes your fancy.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I really think this album sits a lot higher on its level of influence than I previously thought. I absolutely love dreamy guitars, but I still love when a band is able to kick it up a notch. A vital draw to many bands for me is a unique singer, and the Cranberries definitely had that. I also want to be able to listen to an album the entire way through. No Need To Argue is solid from beginning to end. If I had to point to any one album responsible for my current overall taste in music, it is this one. It is safe to say I can definitely still recommend this album to just about anyone. I continued to listen to the Cranberries well into middle school, but lost them at some point after that. I'm glad I rediscovered them.