lambchops's Full Review: First Band on the Moon by The Cardigans
Oh how I want to despise pop, to cringe at the very thought of it. But, alas, bands like The Cardigans exist and help to legitimize a genre of music that is otherwise bland and overplayed.
Formed in Jonkoping, Sweden in 1992, The Cardigans began recording innocently enough. The sunny, stick-sweet vocals of Nina Persson weighed the band’s early work down and they were easily shoved into the disposable pop category. But, as the band’s work matured so did their message and their emotional power.
Debuting in 1994 on American indie label, Minty Fresh (also home to Veruca Salt), The Cardigans were a bit too wistful and a bit too upbeat (despite darker undertones). The album, Emmerdale failed to capture an audience. Just a year later, they returned with what would become their breakthrough album…Life.
At the time that Life was released, The Cardigans had yet to really come into their musical own. The members performed using an amazing amount of instruments in creating the tracks including a cover of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by Black Sabbath. Soon upon the release of the album stateside, The Cardigans were signed to Mercury. Not long after, they released their major label debut and third album.
First Band on the Moon was just what listeners had hoped for. Members Persson, Lasse Johansson (keyboard), Bengt Lagerberg (percussion), Magnus Sveningsson (bass), and Peter Svensson (guitar) are all nearly perfect. The production is clean and not contrived leaving The Cardigans with a very fresh feeling sound. The album went gold in the US and platinum in Japan. Quite an achievement for a slightly quirky, yet wholly appealing, indie pop band hailing from Sweden.
Consisting of eleven songs (ten are original), First Band on the Moon garnered a ton of publicity thanks to MTV’s embrace of Lovefool. But, that track isn’t the most enjoyable on the album. In fact, the disc as a whole is quite impressive. It leans heavily on both Persson and Svensson (he arranges the songs) as the band’s unofficial figureheads. The songs here waver between pop, lounge, rock, and various other more European versions. First Band on the Moon isn’t brilliant or perfect, but it certainly sits atop a steaming heap of mainstream pop.
Aside from the decent although unfortunately overplayed Lovefool, there are many other songs of note. First, there is the cover of Black Sabbath classic rock track Iron Man. This could have been a bastardization of the song (insert Britney Spears here), but is instead an entire retooling. The lyrics and general idea are the same but the overall concept is something very different. Persson sounds wistful and unconcerned with her surroundings. And then there are sitars and guitars intermingling throughout. To those individuals completely unfamiliar with Sabbath, this would seem a very natural song for The Cardigans. Very natural, and absolutely lovely.
The delicate sing-song tendency of Great Divide is absolutely lovely. It’s crafted in such a way that Persson’s vocals are an instrument and the lyrics are only secondary. While listening, I find myself pulled into the song not by what’s said, rather by how it’s said. The same thing applies to other impressive songs like Happy Meal II and Losers.
But the song that really speaks to me is Been It. Simply put, it’s amazing. Mysterious and driving, Been It is certainly a musical standout. Blending pop with rock is a sure sell for The Cardigans. If you listen to just one song besides Lovefool, let this be the one. It’s melodic, driving, and strangely upbeat when compared to the other ten songs.
Each of the eleven songs is different, at times experimental, but in the end completely appealing. The Cardigans is what pop should aspire to be. First Band on the Moon is one of the band’s best albums and should be included in any quirky pop or rock collection. Because of lyrical shortcomings, the album isn’t quite perfect. But, the lyrical problems are only minor and are easily forgotten when considering the musical greatness.
Rating: 4.5/5
Track Listing:
1. Your New Cuckoo
2. Been It
3. Heartbreaker
4. Happy Meal II
5. Never Recover
6. Step on Me
7. Lovefool
8. Losers
9. Iron Man
10. Great Divide
11. Choke
Since the overwhelming success both critically and commercially of First Band on the Moon, The Cardigans have released just one album. Gran Tourismo [1998] isn’t as great as some of the other offerings, but still proves entertaining from time to time.
If you enjoy The Cardigans, check out other innovative pop bands like Morcheeba, Belle & Sebastian, Stereolab, and Everything But The Girl. You won’t be disappointed.
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