The Cardigans
Super Extra Gravity
(Stockholm)
This album continues the sultry, melodic and melancholic mood The Cardigans first explored on Gran Turismo. No band strikes the musical and lyrical balance between broken down and brilliant like this quartet. “Little Black Cloud” epitomizes how they walk the line between beauty and despair. Many of these songs---including “Godspell,” “Drip Drop Teardrop”---combine lo-fi guitar, bass and drums with the occasional organ or harpsichord and Nina Persson’s sweet, sophisticated soprano. The only problem here is the lead single, “I Need Some Fine Wine…,” it’s a bit of sexy, tough posturing that doesn’t work, like “You’re the Storm” on Long Gone Before Daylight.
—Sean Flinn