The Cardigans

It's hard to deny the Cardigans -- they're Swedish, they're fronted by a sexy blond female, and they've studied '70s soft-soul-rock like anthropologists wondering exactly how modern society erred into grunge. The band would go onto harder sounds on subsequent albums, relinquishing the demure, sexy camp that made this 1996 debut such a windows-rolled-down, come-hither winner. If you don't get hot and bothered to "Lovefool," the Cardigans' certified classic tune, the only cure is self-immolation.

In this world of cookie-cutter, post-alternative bands, the Cardigans are fueled by a deep
and abiding faith in novelty. The word kitsch has already earned a permanent place in most
descriptions of this Swedish band, which is inevitable when the straw that stirs your
particular lounge-pop drink is often a flute. The flute is an important part of the Cardigans'
musical armory, as are the melodies of Black Sabbath, which they cover with ala... More >

Popper-than-thou aggregation backs cute blonde for fun and profit. Think Blondie. They're Swedish. Think Abba. They're Euroalt-by-default. Think, er, Bettie Serveert. Only nowadays, anythinger-than-thou commits you to that extra mile, so that these reformed metalheads make their Beatle move a la Black Velvet Flag. And since metalheads can really, how you say it, play their axes, they also score some funny Black Sabbath covers. As for the blonde, alt types were calling her dark even back when she was imitating a love doll. Me, I prefer her now that she's imitating a cynical young woman--especially since the metalheads provide dissonances suitable to her self-critical rhetoric, which greatly smartens their flute and tinkle. (Grade - B+)