Best Of [CD]

I'd almost forgotten about this band, bought several of their earlier albums on cassette in the mid 90's so decided it was time to re-familiarise myself and i was not dissapointed. This is really up-lifting, head-nodding music but has substance to it. You'll be surprised just how many hits you remember.

The Cardigans were 1995's brightest pop suprise when they first emerged in the european music scene with " Life " and further managed a number of things in the years to follow : they significantly expanded their fanbase , made it to America with their 1996 number one hit-single " Lovefool " and outlived a crowd of peers ( Sleeper , Elastica , Cast , the Bluetones , Catatonia and Echobelly to name just a few ) who received far more generous amounts of hype by the music press back in the day , yet failed to keep the audience's interest in them on the longrun . Most impportantly though , is the evolution the group displayed as artists , experimenting with different sounds and styles and channeling new creative paths from album to album.

Indeed , their metamorphosis from the sunny , beautiful kids with retro influences of the mid 90's to the dark , cool and sophisticated country-rock musicians of the mid 00's is , at least to say , impressive . A lot of it seemed to be due to the desire by the band to shed their old skin as they themselfs where growing up and going through changes . On their first couple of records they were just out of their teens , enjoying life and all it's little pleasures ( a ride with daddy's car maybe ? ) . Then , on " First Band Of The Moon " , they added more cheeky humour and and poisonous sugar to their sound .

If the 80's were a decade known for outrageous haircuts and a happy , over-the-top approach to music and style , the 90's where a decade where some of the most depressing music ever released went top 20 .In that era of grudge and britpop , the Cardigans were an interesting off-field presence . Maybe the mood of the times caught up with them and they gave dark electronica a try with 1998's " Gran Turismo " from which came their second biggest hit , " My Favourite Game " . Bands like Garbage and Morcheeba were ruiling the airwaves at the time , still it was particularly suprising for me seeing Mrs.Persson , so enigmatic with her doll-like feautures , starting in the mysterious and twisted video of " Hanging Around " which almost felt like a David Lynch piece . " Long Gone Before Daylight " saw them returning back to the basics in a way , with amazing results while their swam song " Super Extra Gravity " was the work of now music veterans ( strangely enough , still in their mid thirties ) who proved that could also rock pretty damn good on tracks such as " I Need A Fine Wine And You , You Need To Be Nicer "

Not all those transitions went by smoothly for all fans , ( I for once ,had a difficulty embracing some of the late 90's material to be honest ) but this 2008 best of wisely includes all the stand-out songs from their 5 international albums in chronological order . While the older songs might be more known , it's their more recent , more undiscovered work that deserves the extra attention . Even more songs could have been included from 2003's LGBTD ( arguably their best record yet ) , such the heartbreaking " Couldn't Care Less " or " A Good Horse " while the three tracks from 2005's more rough-edged " ...Gravity " are some of the most meaty , gripping material they ever written . Some omisions are inevitable ( personally i would love to see more of the quirky , dreamy melodies of Emmerdale make the cut ) but overall this is truly a pop gem , especially for the younger listeners who might not be that much aware of their work .

What's surprising you may ask me, to which I may reply that in most of their albums I feel rather depressed by track 5. However, on this album the selection and ordering of songs is great, with their usual melowish songs, with a perky tune every so often. The cardigans are a great band never the less, their lead vocalist has a very smooth, suave voice. The guitarist is extremely talented, sometimes sounding well rounded other times quite bohemian. Overall a great album, for people not acquainted with the band, however I would not suggest it for fans, as despite a few live songs there are no new additions.