Prior to the emergence of one of the most arresting and angelic voices enwrapped in a swath of layered dreampop through “Dreams,” the entrancing “Linger” track that took audiences even further into their otherworldly and dreamy melodies, “Zombie” cemented them as one of the premier alt-rock bands globally, before their albums were certified multi-platinum and their videos ticked up hundreds of millions of views. THE CRANBERRIES released UNCERTAIN in October 1991 as an Irish alt-rock band. On January 30, Island / UMe excitedly announced the reissue of this snapshot of the band on the verge of worldwide breakthrough via their limited edition, numbered, and lightly remastered version of Uncertain.
Pressed on cranberry-colored vinyl, the 45-RPM 12″ captures the youthful excitement of that special moment in time immediately before the spotlight on the band got infinitely brighter, before their debut album, Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We?, which would be released two years later in 1993. Originally released in very limited quantities, with estimates projecting just 5,000 copies being made, the extremely rare four-song EP is a premonition of sorts, hinting at the hidden powerhouse vocals of the late Dolores O’Riordan that were perfectly complemented by Fergal Lawler (drummer), Mike Hogan (bassist), and Noel Hogan (guitarist).
The title track ebbs and flows with Dolores’ ethereal vocals, which act as an anchor to keep the musical swells from cresting too soon. Uncertain seemed to Fergal Lawler during the time to be more of a pop song, but as he looked back, it had more of an alternative slant. Fergal also thought of the songs as a time machine, when Dolores was only 19 years old.
“Listening to Uncertain all these years later, I’m surprised by how well it’s held up. You can hear small hints of how the band would eventually sound, but more than anything, it brings back great memories of four young people eager to play music. The EP shows clear signs of strong songwriting, even if it still sounds very much of its time.”
-Noel Hogan
EP TRACKLIST:
SIDE A
- Uncertain
- Nothing At All
SIDE B
- Pathetic Senses
- Them
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