Scooter Chronicles

The Cardigans - “First Band on the Moon”

Tracks:

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

I went out on a few dates with a young lady a couple of years before meeting Marcia. One day we stopped in Harmony House to browse around. She ended up buying this album on CD and we listened to it the rest of the evening. “Lovefool” was often played on the radio. Later I bought a copy, not sure if I really wanted to, but I took a chance. A few weeks after I drove out to Hamilton, Ontario for some friends’ wedding and listened to it. I was hooked.

From left: Peter Svensson (guitar), Bengt Lagerberg (drums), Nina Persson (vocals), Lars-Olof “Lasse” Johansson (keyboards and guitar), and Magnus Sveningsson (bass).

The Cardigans come from the land of great progressive pop: Sweden. OK, only I call it that, but it seems that even pop rock acts out of that country have greater appeal then just the usual pop songs with great hooks, and progressive bands have great pop sensibilities. (Like I said, it’s probably just my opinion.) The Cardigans fall into the first category, with pop sounding songs that have more complexity then one originally thought. Rumors are that the two of the members used to bang around in heavy metal bands before forming this one, which would explain some things.

As I mentioned, “Lovefool” was a big hit here in the US. It appeared in the modern day movie version of “Romeo and Juliet” with Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes playing the leading roles. It is not a great representation of the whole album, but it gives you a good clue to the great hooks they come up with. This song is part of a joke with Marcia and I because at times our dog Molson sometimes seems to be crying part of the chorus (which is simply, “Love me, love me!”) when he wants attention.

The ninth track may look familiar in name, and it is for that very reason. Yes, it’s a cover of “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath. (Obviously the heavy metal background is showing.) And what a cover it is! The way it should be done. Different. It’s got a real pop sound to it, using electronic drums, and sitar sounding guitars. It is especially funny to hear Nina Persson’s alto, kid-like voice saying, “I am iron man.” It’s a real treat.

The rest of the album comes off as snarky in the lyrics department. It has some sexual innuendos and double entendres (if you know what I mean ::: wink wink :::), though hidden and subtle at times. It was quite a few listens in before I picked up some of the them. They aren’t rough edged where you would cringe if you heard someone listening to it, but may not be appropriate for kids. (Of course they may not pick them up.) Quite honestly, being someone that takes lyrics into consideration, I really don’t try to dissect these. It’s not the reason I am listening to the album.

Musically there is a lot there. Great guitar riffs, even if heavily synthesized at times, along with great beats and cool keyboards parts. Again, great pop hooks with complexity to make it all sound great. There are some really cool arrangements (other then “Iron Man”) with some great production value. There are times when I like a lot of polish from the production department, and this is one of those times.

This may be considered a “guilty pleasure” in the listening department, but what the heck. You gotta listen to what you like, right?