Cardigans


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Emmerdale , 5/10
Life , 6/10
First Band on the Moon , 5/10
Gran Turismo , 5/10
Long Gone Before Daylight (2003) , 4/10
Super Extra Gravity (2005), 4/10
A Camp (2001), 5/10
Colonia (2009), 4/10
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Guitarist Peter Svensson and bassist Magnus Sveningsson (who had moonlighted in heavy-metal bands) formed the Cardigans in Malmo. Singer Nina Persson soon became the main attraction of the band with her softly sensual, dreamy, cocktail-lounge phrasing. Emmerdale (Trampolene, 1994) was a sad and introverted album, mainly influenced by the Smiths, but at least Sick & Tired and Rise And Shine showed the band capable of producing affecting and non-trivial pop tunes.

Both their melodic talent and their flair for sophisticated, lush arrangements (violins, flutes, trumpets) bloomed on Life (Polydor, 1995). The resulting sound was as much a retro` tribute to the Sixties as a poppier study of melancholy (Carnival, Daddy's Car, Happy Meal). A less oleographic and more stylish Combustible Edison, or a jazzier, mellower, looser Stereolab.

The Cardigans unexpectedly turned cheerful with First Band on the Moon (Mercury, 1996), that yielded their biggest hit, Lovefool, quintessence of their baroque kitsch. The rest of the album was barely up to the standard of the band (Your New Cuckoo).

The sound of Gran Turismo (Mercury, 1998) harks back to Emmerdale's darker, claustrophobic mood, augmented with touches of electronica, ambient and trip-hop (Paralyzed). Doom eludes the techno shuffles Erase/Rewind and Explode, but impends in the gospel of Higher and in the videogame-sounding jungle of Do You Believe. Their characteristic bouncy hooks resurface in My Favourite Game and Hanging Around.

A Camp (Polydor, 2001) is the new project of Nina Persson, who is joined by a collective of friends and instructed by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. The latter's tortured beats highlight Frequent Flyer, Walking The Cow, Hard As a Stone and completely obliterate the singer in Elephant. Once stabilized as the supergroup of the Cardigans' vocalist Nina Persson, Shudder To Think's Nathan Larson and Atomic Swing's Niclas Frisk, A Camp returned with Colonia (Nettwerk, 2009), that was even worse: pomp for the sake of pomp.

Long Gone Before Daylight (2003 - Stockholm, 2004) is senile easy-listening with as little artistic ambitions as possible. The tone of the acoustic opener Communication and of the single For What It's Worth is dispirited, funless, country-ish and slightly catatonic.

Super Extra Gravity (2005) is pure fluff.

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