The Cardigans - More Than Just A Button Down Sweater
Written: Jan 08 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything
Cons: Did you read this review?
The Bottom Line: Super Extra Gravity is so good. Yup, so good.
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| cletta1201's Full Review: Super Extra Gravity - The Cardigans Movies |
Sorry about the other review if you saw it, it was still supposed to be in draft :)
Sometime in early 2005 I fell in love. Not just regular love but that kind of love that smacks you in the face and makes you hunt down and actually pay money for cd’s (even at import price). Wearing my love like a badge (in the shape of a heart of course) it is my life's duty to make everyone behold the greatness that is The Cardigans.
Of course if you were alive and had an ear in the late nineties you've probably already heard The Cardigans musical stylings. Their major hit was "Lovefool", which quickly became the song most likely to make you say "If I hear that song one more time I'm going to (insert something bad here)". Banality aside, The Cardigans are so much more than a nineties pop song. They are intricate melodies, good writing and just a serious cohesiveness that makes their albums so, so good.
The Swedish outfit is led by Nina Persson (who should be now known to you as Goddess of all music) and backed by 4 seriously talented musicians (Peter Svensson, Magnus Sveningsson, Lars-Olof Johansson, Bengt Lagerberg). Super Extra Gravity is the group’s sixth album and if you know like the residents of Sweden where the group hails from know, you’d be listening to them already.
Where The Cardigans succeed and other groups tend to fail is knowing when enough is enough. When allowing vocals to be the focal point of tracks and when the music needs to supercede that. On "Losing A Friend" a single drumbeat and sweet guitar are the perfect compliment to Persson’s writing and subsequently, her vocals. On "And Then You Kissed Me Part 2", the band is the yin to Persson's vocal yang on the powerful track about domestic violence; On this follow-up to "And Then You Kissed Me" from 2004's Long Gone Before Daylight, Persson sings "I tell you now like I told you before / Love is a powerful force / And it's a mystery how people behave! / How we long for a life as a slave / And tumble into any open arms / That will only ever do you harm" over a dark beat that suits the song's (even more) dark subject matter.
True and viable musicianship is a rarity in contemporary music (this from the girl who adores Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez), but The Cardigans have got it. From the gentle fading up of sound and vocals on the superbly produced “In The Round” to the rough edge of ”I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer”. There’s also an underlying emotional quotient to a lot of the tracks, ”Don’t Blame Your Daughter (Diamonds)” details the terse relationship of a child and a parent. Equally as effective is the timing on ”Slow” which has an almost (slow) aching feel to it.
The Cardigans aren’t just excellent production and quality writing, they walk a fine line between rock and pop that’s appealing to fans of the softer side of rock and the quirk and charm of pop music. The guitar break on ”Godspell” is wholly unexpected but in a fleeting moment it’s back to a hard groove and Persson’s smooth vocals. The finer details, like the tambourine at the end of ”Godspell” and the simple staccato of ”Holy Love” are so musically appealing that even without the words, this album would be amazing to listen to.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you were thinking that ”Lovefool” was The Cardigans penultimate moment, you should definitely delve a little deeper into their catalogue. Comparatively speaking Super Extra Gravity isn’t as pop-sounding as previous releases, but it still has pop approachableness and The Cardigans unique style that sets them apart from everybody else.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cletta1201
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Cletta The Great
Location: Northern Virginia
Reviews written: 309
Trusted by: 262 members
About Me:
Unlike Madtheory, you can call mine a comeback.
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