The Cranberries

The Cranberries are an alternative rock band from Limerick, Ireland that formed in 1989 and rose to mainstream popularity in the early 1990's. The band consists of Dolores O'Riordan (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Noel Hogan (guitars, vocals, also a member of Mono Band), Mike Hogan (bass, vocals), and Fergal Lawler (drums, percussion, also a member of The Low Network). The band went on hiatus in 2003 and reunited in the summer of 2009.

Combining the melodic jangle of post-The Smiths indie pop with the lilting, trance-inducing sonic textures of late-80s dream pop and adding a slight Celtic tint, The Cranberries became one of the more successful groups to emerge from the indie scene of the early 90s. Led by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, whose keening, powerful voice is the most distinctive element of the group's sound, the group initially made little impact in the United Kingdom.

It wasn't until the lush ballad "Linger" became an American hit in 1993 that the band also achieved mass success in the U.K. Following the success of "Linger", The Cranberries quickly became international stars, as both their 1993 debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, and its 1994 follow-up, No Need To Argue, sold millions of copies and produced a string of hit singles like "Dreams", "Zombie" and "Ode To My Family".

By the time of their third album, 1996's To the Faithful Departed, the group had added distorted guitars to its sonic palette and attempted to make more socially significant music, which resulted in a downturn in the band's commercial fortunes.

During the next few years, the band cancelled a large tour and rumours of a breakup were widespread. In 1999, they released Bury The Hatchet to mixed reviews. In 2001, the band issued Wake Up And Smell The Coffee to rave reviews. The album debuted at number 46 in the US charts.

In 2002, The Cranberries released the compilation Stars: The Best of 1992-2002, which was supported by the single "Stars".

In 2003, The Cranberries announced they were taking some time to pursue individual careers. They decided to put the next album on hold. After more than a dozen years of relentless touring and promotion, which had seen them clocking up album sales in excess of 43 million and playing to hundreds of thousands of fans around the globe, the band decided it was time for a break.

In 2007, Dolores O'Riordan released her debut solo album titled Are You Listening?. Two years later she released her second solo album, No Baggage.

On 25 August 2009, Dolores O'Riordan announced that The Cranberries will be reuniting for a North American tour to begin in mid-November 2009, to be followed by dates in Europe in early 2010. O'Riordan indicated that the band will be playing songs from her solo albums and a lot of The Cranberries classic hits as well as some new music written by the group together.

The Cranberries recorded Roses at the Metalworks Studios in Toronto (Canada) from 18 April to 15 May 2011 with producer Stephen Street, who previously collaborated with the band on first, second and fifth albums. The Cranberries worked on 15 tracks during the Roses session, although not all will be included on the album. The album is scheduled for release on 14 February, 2012.

Official site: http://www.cranberries.com.