Credit: Andy EarlThe story of The Cranberries comes to a close with the band’s first Grammy nomination. The Irish group’s final record, In the End, is up for Best Rock Album at the 2020 ceremony, taking place this Sunday, January 26.
In the End was recorded using vocal demos that frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan made before her death in January 2018. Speaking to ABC Radio, guitarist Noel Hogan explains that making the album was a cathartic experience for him and his band mates, and helped them cope with O’Riordan’s sudden passing.
“Looking back at it now, you wonder how you would’ve dealt with things if we didn’t have this album,” Hogan says. “I know it’s a cliche, but [the album was] a blessing in disguise.”
The Cranberries are proud of In the End, not just as a tribute to O’Riordan but also as a vital entry in their discography. The record was purposefully sequenced and ends with its title track, which Hogan feels is a fitting final farewell from the band.
“Just everything about it…the subject matter, the feel of the song, the title of the song,” Hogan explains. “It was just everything [you’d want to] finish something — a career, or an album, or all those kinds of things.
The Grammy nomination for In the End follows the flood of tributes to O’Riordan following her passing, which drummer Fergal Lawler says was “incredible” to see.
“We spoke to her family about it as well, and they were blown away,” he says. “They felt that she’d be really proud of…that the songs meant so much to so many people.”
The other Best Rock Album Grammy nominees include Bring Me the Horizon‘s Amo, Cage the Elephant‘s Social Cues, I Prevail‘s Trauma, and Rival Sons‘ Feral Roots.
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