Released in 1994, No Need To Argue by Irish band The Cranberries has been the band’s most successful album by far. This is the album that includes Ode to My Family and the band’s biggest hit Zombie which is a protest song against the IRA bombings that occurred in Warrington, England and the violence in Northern Ireland. It has sold over 17 million copies worldwide eventually going multiplatinum. It was produced by Stephen Street who was also the producer for the band The Smiths. This record has a few different characteristics compared to their previous albums; this album is darker and more serious.
Being a The Cranberries fan, I can say that I really enjoy this album. It’s not the kind of album that I would listen if I wanted to get pumped up or if I were really happy and excited. But to me as a listener, it’s very mellow and relaxing. As an industry professional I can notice why they say that the album is darker. You can hear it in the guitar riffs, the melodies, the bass lines, and the lyrics. It’s the way the album is produced, it makes you feel something that is definitely not happiness but it has a hook. To me, great albums are the ones that make you feel something as a whole.
Like I mentioned above, great albums are the ones that make you have emotions, wether it’s happiness, sadness, excitement, nostalgia among others. I guess that the knowledge I gained from this is that hit albums aren’t necessarily the ones that get you up and dancing. This is a slow album but each song has a deep meaning, and that’s what I want to carry with me throughout my career. I want to give meaning to my work. Wether I’m mixing an album, playing, producing or working with film, I want my final result to have meaning. I want to be involved with music in general and sound for film. Movies without sound are incomplete. The music is what makes you feel happy, sad or scared; it’s what creates emotion during a scene. Being able to understand that and work on something that I know will have effect on someone can set me apart form the competition.
nicolewatlington 