The Cardigans

Because of Krissy recent post of the Cardigans I've been going back through my CD's to find some forgotten songs by them. I go through phases a lot, but these phases always reoccur and especially with the Cardigans. I remember when I first started driving, I was about 17 and I used to have the album Life as my driving album for the first few months of being behind the wheel. And when Long Gone Before Daylight drop, I don't think that left my player for a good year - I think it might be one of my favourite albums of all time.

Anyways, I wanted this post to just have some good time vibes of the cardigans.

I think this is the American video (I'm not too sure tough it has an American feel to it), I like the fact that at the end Nina looks like Kirsten Dunst with a black wig the dimples probably help - very hot. There's another video which is a bit more basic with more of a 90's feel (this one it's like a Back Street Boys vid or something) and a censor of the whore. I like the fact that this song is quite the opposite of what the pop market is about - abrupt chords, slightly rocky and almost twee (I know, I know - I hate that word too) at times. But my God it's hooky.

This is off the album Life, it's probably my favourite song off there other than the more obvious choice of Carnival. One time a bunch of friends and I was going to a full on acoustic version of Carnival but I don't think the others were into it as much as I was.

They have a fondness for rock and metal and love to cover Black Sabbath. This is recent-ish and I like the fact it's practically a country song now, I couldn't be bothered to post Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

Remember when they done that song for the X Files? The strange thing is I actually don't and considering I'm a big fan of both that's quite shocking.

The synth in this song is quite brutal, specially at the end. When I used to work in a record shop I used to play this song a lot.

This is the guitarist singing Carnival, it might be one of the most heart breaking ways of playing a song I've ever heard. This is from a Japanese only release - The Other Side Of The Moon, which is basically a bunch of awesome B Sides they done. I think I might do a cover of this on Christmas day.

A song from Nina' solo album, A Camp. Has the feel of Long Gone Before Daylight.

And this is from an Oxfam compilation with Nina singing on one of the songs. You should buy it, it goes to a good cause and you get a bunch of awesome tracks.

Anyways, I'm leaving out the new stuff because I just wanted this to be a post about the songs I forgotten about but vibing out to again. And I'm also leaving out the songs Nina done with Tom Jones and Manic Street Preachers 'cause they was quite bad. There's also a few other songs you can look up if you don't know them like the soundtrack to Om Gud vill (Nina stars in it), Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) and the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg, Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited. 

Anyways, at the end of the day Nina Persson may of grown to become one of the greatest bitter sweet lyricist we've seen in recent times and Anders Peter Svensson might be one of the most under appreciated pop composers ever. They're definitely a major influence on me. 

And here is a really really really boring fact about them. 3 of the members have "sson" at the end of their last name. I'm sorry; I did say it was a boring fact.

I put this vid on my myspace profile recently, they may go out of tune on the chorus but I do dig the vibe of it all.

-Russ
xo