The Cardigans. Once upon a time they proudly headed up the Swedish wing of the Britpop movement. It’s a mild surprise to find them still fighting their corner. 10 years on from the candyfloss kitsch of Life, via brief forays into ‘edginess’ on Gran Turismo, The Cardigans have returned to their gentle pop origins and present us with this gift of their 6th album. But perhaps they shouldn’t have.Although never exactly challenging, the Cardies were once pretty deft at producing quirky pop songs, just the right side of twee. Gems like 'Rise and Shine' and 'Carnival' were nicely hummable in suitable retro-electro fashion. Unfortunately, their pop efforts these days veer worryingly close to Norah Jones territory.
Styles vary throughout the album – from the shimmering sparseness of 'Losing a Friend', to the power big-pop of 'I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to be Much Nicer' (top marks for song-title there). However, an all-permeating theme of blandness and non-inspiration grates its way right through, to the point of acute irritation. The inoffensive songs refusing to lift off the ground and seize the listener’s attention – moments aside when one is tempted to take a sledgehammer to the stereo and end the aural suffering.
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