Reviews (page 2 of 10)
meh
Fun, love her voice. Great song arrangements.
Pleasant surprise. There are moments where the voice verges on too weasely, but a lot of these songs have really great melodies to them. More of a 3.5 but they get the bump for the sparse theremin use. Edit to acknowledge the iron man cover. Wow.
Felt like a 90s Reboot of the Go-Gos. Hilarious cover of Iron Man and didn't realize Mad Men used Great Divide. Quite enjoyed this if I didn't outright love it. 3.5 and currently under consideration for a future 4.
Fun pop melodies but with just enough eccentricity to stand out. And the drums are pretty great. (3.5)
Very yummy 😋😋🤤🤤
Anyone else feel like we get a lot european albums? i wonder why. "Your new cuck" and they're saying oo? freaky.
it was ok
happy to report i enjoyed myself.
“Love fool” hit, rest is pop rock with sweet female vocal
Nice poppy cheerful
7 - GOOD
send them to the moon. Without a return trip. And include all recordings of this as well. 1.0
Fínasta plata hjá krökkunum. Nær ekki alveg upp í fjarka en er þó notarleg og skandí næs.
Sænskt gæðapopp. Nína er skemmtileg söngkona.
so fire bro
This is a relaxing and cute album. But some songs are noisy
This was so great. The lead singer's voice is just heavenly, and even though I know Lovefool very well, I don't think I had ever heard (or was prepared for) any of the other songs on this album. They were almost even better than the one hit -- very varied in their style, harmonic and rhythmic surprises, and just musically very punchy and awesome to listen to. I listened 3 times all the way through and could've gone back for more. Five stars easily.
Ok, a bit M'eh
Ok
Everyone has heard Lovefool on the radio and it's certainly a catchy song, though it was never personally strong enough for me to explore their catalog further. I was interested to hear if they had more to deliver beyond that one hit. Unfortunately, the answer was pretty much no. There were aspects of this I liked, no doubt, such as the throwback feel to a good amount of their songs. That said, a lot of this was like Lovefool, but with worse song construction. More to the point, the tracks were generally too airy for me, lacking some depth that I would have otherwise hoped for. It wasn't an album that I hated, there just wasn't much to grab onto.
É só o classico
Achei o álbum bem mais interessante do que o assumia só pelo single. Isso e a cover da Iron Man puxa o 4
Valeu pelo cover do Iron Man
You'd think that with songs like Step on Me and Lovefool that First Band on the Moon would be The Cardigans' most concise and tightly wound project but unfortunately I found it to be their most messy and inconsistent to date. This album tries to flesh out The Cardigans' sound more than their Twee Pop era ever did, which I am very grateful for, but it is also very apparent this album needed more time to bake in the oven because the middle is great but the two ends are severely undercooked. This album still has the very bubbly vocals of the lead singer Nina Persson that I find to be so enjoyable and the sticky glue that keeps this band together, but everything else feels a whole lot more underwhelming than one may think. The Rock elements don't feel as punchy or even as vibrant as they should be and it really borders on being yet another soft and fluffy Twee Pop project at the end of the day. I think of The Cardigans' writing were better it could cover some of the other faults I find so prevalent with this album. I wish I got down with First Band on the Moon more but this felt like a step in both the right and wrong direction in this power struggle of an album.
What a banger
4.5
A lot of bops! Surprised I'd never heard more of this album tbh.
Singer sounded so weird, one of only good songs was a remake of another better one by Ozzy
Almost leaning 4
It’s easy to see why Lovefool was the hit it was. It’s so accessible fun and joyous. That’s not to say the rest of the album is not good it’s just that it goes to some interesting places that people drawn in by the single won’t expect.
very fascinating electro poppy, rocky, punky album thats reminiscent of the oldies and is futuristic at the same time. A great listen, and has an incredibly famous tiktok song that was cool to hear the origin from.
molto bello, pop elettronic
Detta var verkligen ett album som växte på mig och blev bättre för varje låt! Nina Perssons röst är ikonisk och representerar 90-talsindie för mig så mycket. Kan se mig själv lyssna på detta om och om igen!
Lovefool makes the album. It is 3 minutes of musical perfection, very catchy, beautiful vocals, if you don't enjoy it then you have a problem. The rest of the album was very nondescript, nothing stood out at all. It was bland. Unfortunately, one track does not an album make. I feel like I had to endure the other tracks to hear Lovefool so it's only 2 stars for me.
this wa treat! One of the rare instances where I immediately hit replay. Love the vocals. Did not recognize that the Cardigans did "Lovefool" which is an old favorite, but their "Iron Man" cover tops as the best on the album (but there are a lot more positives!). Good job! [976. Getting close]
Kaardikanssia ei ole ollut tuttu muuten kuin sen hittibiisin tiimoilta joka tällä levyllä oli. Olihan tuo ihan miellyttävää. Mukavia, jopa jänniä saundeja ja nuoren tyttömäinen laulu tykästytti.
Hämärä Iron Man -coveri, yks hittibiisi oli tuttua. Enimmäkseen jäi vaan viba, että on tommosta indiepoppia/peruspoppia. Laulaja ei oikein mukavasti omaan korvaan istunu, muuten aika kädenlämpöstä.
Lovefool was a monster hit on MTV when this came out, but this is all I really knew from the band. This is good, dreamy pop.
This was surprisingly great. Lovefool is of course a classic, and cool hear to that same sound throughout the album. And who knew the Cardigans did an Iron Man cover? Inspired choice.
I enjoyed this. It's true that Lovefool really stands out...it is ultra-catchy. But the rest of the album was more quirky and fun than I was expecting, not just a bunch of watered down pop. I added it to my library and plan to revisit.
I never knew anything about this band other than the inescapable "Lovefool," and Nina Persson's breathy vocals aren't my thing. So this felt laborious at first, but I was charmed by the time "Choke" closed things out. "Lovefool" never did it for me, but "Step on Me" and "Choke" are solid, and the cover of "Iron Man" is fun. 3.5 stars. The 1,001 book proclaims, "There is a notable dose of heavy metal riffage coursing through this." Wha?
Hear me out. The Cardigans are an amazing band. This is coming from someone who loves stoner metal, shoegaze, post-rock, etc. etc. The Cardigans are fantastic performers and songwriters. What's funny to me is that this isn't even close to their best album. *Life*, *Gran Turismo*, and *Long Gone Before Daylight* are all stronger sets of songs. But, *First Band* has "Lovefool," so of course, that's the one that ends up on a list like this one. An interesting point to me is that "Lovefool" sounds like a bouncy, ridiculous disco song, but the lyrics completely undercut that. This is the album in microcosm: bouncy, oftentimes joyous sounding pop music, with relatively dark lyrics for counterpoint. Musically, this is a pretty significant pivot from *Life*. Gone are the overt 60s pop reference. Instead, the band dip their toes into electronic sounds and treatments, especially on the drums, which many times sound like they're being drowned in a bathtub. There is still a sunny 60s vibe throughout, but it feels more like a texture instead of the whole cloth, as it did on *Life*. Not every song is a banger, but the highs hit pretty high for me: the chorus for "Losers," the frenetic drumming on "Never Recover," the hooks of "Happy Meal II," the jazzy groove of "Iron Man," and the extended outro for "Choke." Overall - this is a great 90s rock record, trying to find its way through the free-for-all that was post-grunge and pre-pop. FOUR STARS
this SLAPPED. loved it. incredible pop. 10/10
Super!
Really torn on this, I think a low 4 is appropriate
Solid
Hade inte fattat att Cardigans är såna sabbath-skallar
Man behöver absolut inte skämmas!
Not really for me I’m afraid
It was fine, nothing more and morning less.
Not a big fan of this album. It's fairly boring. Lovefool is great though. Maybe I should listen to them more, maybe never again. We'll see.
If I say this is Weezer for girls do yall know what I mean?
Flutes. I'm alright with the flutes. Her voice could certainly be too airy and light for many but I find it quite pleasant. A pretty nice listen through.
Unique and original but I find her voice can be quite difficult to listen to after a few songs.
I thought this was pretty fun, I enjoyed “Lovefool” and their version of “Iron Man”
I thought I might be liking this but then that voice just started to grate on me. 2.5
Cool album, eq was way trebly could have been a lot easier listening with a remaster.
Lovefool was a massive hit, but there was a great band and a great album oft overlooked because if it. Weird, haunting, catchy, striking, fun. A great album. Five star listen again.
I expected more from this album. Lovefool is a great song and I think choke was the best track on there but it struggled a little bit to find consistency.
No doubt
-cheery -whimsical -not enough bass -nice songs but they dont leave a lasting effect
If give this a solid 4 but I'd give like a 3.8 if I could. Not bad at all but didn't leave me mesmerized. Songs are not super memorable, its only the single that I can recall. The Black Sabbath cover was cool however. Still worth a listen, the group has a pleasant sound what has aged like wine.
This really grated on me, which is odd because I like another of their albums. I didn't finish this one
I've enjoyed some The Cardigans in the past, but this is bad out of the gate. Hopefully it gets better as we go. 6 songs in and I'm pretty sure I hate this. Step on me has some moments, but they come halfway through the song. Lovefool is next up, it is the one that is supposed to be the hit. Ah yes, I remember this one now, definitely a step above. Still bubblegum pop, so nothing amazing. You would think that the remake of Iron Man, along with with other verses around the album referencing Sabbath songs would intrigue someone that loves Sabbath as much as I do. They did fully make it their own, so you have to give them that. When the album was over, I was glad.
I used to love this album back when it came out. Amazing songwriting, but the production is keeping it from a five. The drum sound is horrific at times.
Pleasant music, very pleasant voice, will probably give this another listen occasionally.
Meh ASMR jazz
Yeah it was pretty good but not my fave
5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background I don't see it as essential but it was an enjoyable listen. Intriguing cover of Iron Man!
Здесь есть очень хорошие песни, но мало что запоминается, вокал потрясающий
4.5
This was better than expected. Been It is a great song, which I'm pretty sure I've heard before. I even enjoyed Lovefool, which I definitely despised at a point in my life due to MTV beating us over the head with it.
Meh. I tried playing this for my wife, who is noise-averse and more pop-oriented, and she concurred with the "meh." So, it's not just me.
The bans is pretty skilled and they try a range of things, but it doesn't move me. I don't like her voice, and the singles that sort of blend disco elements with bubblegum are not my scene.
I'd heard of the Cardigans forever, but didn't know their music at all. (I kinda mixed them up with the Corrs and the Cranberries.) Anyway, much of this was quite good. Borderline 4 material. Favorite tracks were Been It and Choke.
2/5 - I was hoping this would be worth digging into given the quality of the hit, Lovefool, but it was kind of a snoozer.
Gute Musik. Man muss aber die Stimme der Sängerin mägen
A pleasant enough listen but won't be returning. One of those bands where I'd listen to a playlist (a greatest hits album in the old days) of their singles but wouldn't trouble myself to listen to the actual albums.
Okay
There were actually a few good tracks in there, but the overall album is not that good.
Lovefool was one of my favorite songs as a kid. This was a fun and easy listen, a unique sound.
Reallly fun
Yet another one of those albums that I listen to, and then afterwards think to myself "yep, that sure is an album that I just listened to," and then I get on with my day like nothing happened. I have literally nothing bad to say about this, but I found this album to be so average in every way that I really have nothing to add to the conversation, positive or negative.
Kicking myself that the only Cardigans song I knew was “Lovefool” before this. This is exactly the type of turn-of-the-millennium chillout music I adore. Gorgeous twee vocals, lush chamber orchestration, and a few Black Sabbath fan moments…what’s not to love?
Underrated
A fun listen filled with great 90's gems. I recognized quite a few more songs than I thought I would going into this, which is more often than not, a good sign of it's quality. A pleasant listen overall. Fav Songs Lovefool Step On Me Your New Cuckoo Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Yes. A quaint listen in the 90's pop rock genre filled with many banging hits. Would enjoy again.
Okay. Soft, treble-laden pop rock made by people who clearly love Black Sabbath. "Lovefool" was the only track I'd heard prior to the generator telling me to give the whole album a try. It's always been one of those inoffensive 90s tunes to me, fine when it's mixed into a playlist. I've never really had any strong opinions. Well, turns out that even though I agree with them that Black Sabbath is amazing, the soft pop rock wears on me when I'm listening to an entire album of it. I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I'm glad I listened, but I'm also perfectly content to go back to just hearing "Lovefool" in decade mixes. This isn't my thing.
Veramente un bell’album, mi sento di dargli 5 perché non c’è un pezzo brutto
I didn’t hate it, but the dream-like song style can only take me so far
Awesnose
I bought this, soon after it came out, as I did with all Cardigans albums. I disliked it, but I've changed my mind. It revisits the quirky sound of Life, but lacks the innocence, joie de vivre and musical inventiveness. That said, it's still a fine album
An intresting one. Some really intriguing songs on the first half that I enjoyed, and it's was amazing to see how early Lovefool had come out having only heard it out of context. A fair few tracks fall short though.
Maybe this is a harsh 3, I don’t know, but it is good but not great imho. I parlayed it again this morning to see if I’d changed my mind, it feels like a morning album, but I hadn’t Never really bought the Cardigans at the time nor dug all the Nina Pearson hype. Very listenable but that’s it
Some decent stuff, but most of it is a bit too slow for my taste. Persson's lead vocals are very nice but it gets a bit repetitive with the constant singsongy-ness of it. "Lovefool" is an obvious standout among all this, such a catchy tune. Favorite Track: Lovefool
Not bad by any stretch. Obviously everyone knows Lovefool but most of the other songs are pretty great too
Sort of an interesting one. On the surface, it’s smooth, cool-toned pop with kinda wispy female vocals, but it’s actually a little more polished and carefully constructed than the initial impression suggests. The lyrics have a bitter undercurrent, and there’s an unexpected (though not super great) cover of “Iron Man.” These things give it a bit more personality and bite than you’d expect. And then it has “Lovefool,” one of those songs you’ve definitely heard but (if you’re like me) never knew who sang it. There’s still something that keeps me from fully enjoying this album, but it it’s not quite the generic fare I thought it might be. 3.5?
lady vocalist with fun kooky tunes
As a kid of the 1990s of course I love Lovefool! Some of the other tracks on here were bangers but some were a little strange
A pretty lead singer with a soft, one dimensional tone. Each song seemed the same in melody, timing, inflection. Harmonies or backup singing would offer variety and more. It wasn't bad but a whole album was more than I was interested in listening to.
Genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed this album.
I'm really not into her voice.
cute
I like your new cuckoo I did not know they did Lovefool. Its a good song. Its a 3 star album Been it is also good.
Decent, kind of average, fun, just okay
Boring, to me.
The couple more famous tracks are extremely overplayed and the vocals are annoying sometimes. However, gotta admit the melodies are catchy and generally well crafted. Fav track:”Losers”. High 3 maybe low 4
Really enjoyed this one. Fun pop album that still sounds fresh.
Better than I expected. Was listening at work so not totally concentrating but seemed a little more suggestive than radio play’s ‘Lovefool’ would suggest. Cool take on Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man.’
Great summer album.
I randomly saw them live once & they’re good. This ain’t my favorite Cardigans album though & I am sick of Lovefool.
Probably would have been better without the weird Iron Man cover
This is a very fun album, varies a lot, and feels pretty technically arranged! Wahoo! Highlights: "Your New Cuckoo", "Lovefool", "Losers"
No puedo creer que Lovefool no es de Kylie. Nota: 3.7
This was on repeat when I was growing up so I knew all these songs without even knowing I did - exactly the kind of music I like
Ok 2/5
These guys, with this album, just put a smile on your face.
Now that I've listened I am a little surprised that the reviews seemed largely more positive than I am feeling. Not bad but I don't think I want to listen again.
Pretty good. Nice voice and drumlines. Lovefool is a staple. Guess they are big Black Sabbath fans. Aren't we all
Better than you think it would be based on the song Lovefool. Not that it’s a bad song (I like it), it just sounds like the type of song a mediocre band would accidentally have a hit with and then millions would buy the album and be like wtf is this mediocre crap on the rest of the album. It’s not like that.
très cool j’ai adorer
Didn't think too much before going in, but these guys are sick. Always managing to get this infectious college rock melodies across in the best way. Has jangly guitars with a whimsical female vocals as the main parts of the album, it also has a overarching nocturnal mood to it; though not darkness per se. A lot of it does quite a good job at what it's trying to do, which is bit of a mix between jangle pop and downtempo stuff. It just has such a good feel to it all. I also quite like how they transformed a heavy metal classic into a solid downtempo funky song, it's probably one of the best covers I've ever heard. I definitely think this album has a place on the 1001 list. It stands out and has a uniqueness, that I feel everyone should hear. It's not a carbon copy of anything. It does everything well. Highlight Song/s: "Been It", "Step On Me" and "Iron Man"
Alright, well made but not my thing. The iron man cover was a nice surprise though
Nearly 1100 albums is a LOT! On a list like that, there is going to be a lot of forgettable filler that has people shrugging their shoulders and saying, "I suppose there's nothing really WRONG with this?" This feels like a truly niche group that has somehow managed to make it onto a list that has completely excluded all of the works by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Warren Zevon. I;m not seeing anything but virtual randomness in that.
Sin más
This album did not age well...
Lounge pop with a bit of a dark side. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it is pop gold.
While I have heard Lovefool before, this is a really cool album! The cover of Iron Man was really unique.
Nah
8 / 10
Pull-overs? No, it's the Cardigans. I was pleasantly surprised by this saccharine album. It's fun and has more than just the one, massive hit. Top tracks: "Lovefool," "Great Divide," "Your New Cockoo"
fun! Surprising it's on this list but cool that it is. Lovefool still a banger 30 years later, he said while dying of old age.
--Your New Cuckoo...damn, this cool. sleek production. we got a flute solo! --Been It...jangly pop. vocals carry it --Heartbreaker...not much of a tune but these guys are willing to get weird. which I appreciate --Happy Meal II...see "Heartbreaker" --Never Recover...solid power pop --Step on Me...boring --Lovefool...the kind of perfect pop that only the Swedes can produce --Losers...cool production. song is just okay --Iron Man...cheeky cover --Great Divide...dreamy. probably would have made a solid closer but it's the penultimate track --Choke...winning me over with horns and flute. it's a bop
buenas melodías, buenas guitarras.
I mean… it’s harmless? There’s not enough substance to even get mad about it. But there’s nothing much of interest either. Wouldn’t go on my top 1001 list, not sure what about it is significant.
This one surprised me and I found myself enjoying lots of it. There's something sort of unique about the sound - the singer's voice is sort of sweet and haunting at the same time, and I love the choice of notes in her vocals especially songs such as "Heartbreaker". Interesting arrangements and a range of different sounding songs. Also an incredibly unique cover of Sabbath's "Iron Man". I love when bands put their own stamp on covers and don't just try to replicate the original too much. Props to them for this. A solid 4/5
This surprised me. I thought The Cardigans were just 'Lovefool', but First Band on the Moon has sneaky depth and craft.
Lovefool super, très chill en fond j'aime beaucoup la voix de la chanteuse. J'avais même pas capté que c'était Iron Man en reprise.
Bit surprised TBH. Pretty good album. A high 3 stars
not for me sadly.... 5 stars for lovefool
* 61 Velproduceret og veleksekveret svensk pop. Det lyder ret godt, men det er ikke rigtig musik, jeg er stor fan af generelt. De får små 3.
Det gør ikke det store for mig, men jeg kan godt forstå hvorfor man kan synes at det er fedt.
Fint men forglemmeligt pop fra en forglemmelig periode. Et helt vildt sløjt cover af Iron Man kan dog ikke andet end at trække minimum én stjerne ned. Anede ikke, at det var dem, der havde lavet "Lovefool", hvilket må siges at være en evergreen. Ikke nødvendigvis en god én, men en evergreen. Albummet er glemt igen om 1-2 dage. 2.4
Okay, men også bare lidt intetsigende og ikke min kop the
"Pullover!" "Huh?" "Pullover!" "No, it's a cardigan, but thanks for noticing." This band gets bonus points for inspiring one of the greatest movies of all time.
Pegada bem gostosinha que essa banda tem, hein? esse vocal feminino da uma boa sensação a quem ouve, uma delicadeza com instrumentais bem “suaves”, nada é tão distorcido - mesmo que há várias homenagens de Black Sabbath neste disco - eles conseguem mesclar o suave com uma personalidade e musicalidade bastante refinada.
Like The Cardigans, liked this album when it first came out, like this album today too. Nice and chilled.
it's alright I actually had a few songs from this album on my playlist already, but its still not really my taste
Heard some Sabbath licks throughout the album, glad they fessed up with an Iron Man cover. Surprised they were just a one hit wonder since the entire album carries the same vibe as Lovefool.
Ihan kiva pop-levy, muttei mitään erityistä. Kappaleista parhaiten mieleen jäivät Lovefool-hitti ja yllättävä Black Sabbath-cover.
Closer to 4 stars. Maybe 3.7
Just a really fun album with a nice and consistent tone and style but plenty of variations in terms of song structure and lovely vocals.
Odd album. Lovefool is a banger...some of the other tracks are out there.
Definitely has a unique sound, mostly attributed to the lead singer imo, but a little harpsichord maybe too? Jazzy and poppy, it does not sound like anything else from that year, until Lovefool hits, that is, which became a defining sound of a particular period during its run. Is it good? I think your mood is going to probably steer that as much as your ear. It kept my interest, I'll give it that.
Nice pop...
6/10 nice album
i can't work out whether my affection for this is due to my age and this sounding like my teenage years. But i enjoyed this. The single is a classic but its the rest it the album that surprised, the voice holds across the hour and there is surprising detail in the arrangement. The vibe is so late 90's it hurts but i enjoyed it.
I thought that the production was pretty good in parts, and some of the songs were interesting. But, I found long swaths of this record quite annoying. Not terrible, but not what I would call essential.
im to young to have heard this when it first came out, but some of these songs gave me some hefty callbacks to the cd in the car period. c for cards in the car
Lovefool is so undeniable that I can't give any fewer than three stars to any album that contains it. But I did think pretty hard about it.
This was fun to listen to, had some suprisingly interesting arrangements. The iron man cover was a bit unnecessary
good album for obe time listening
Very chill. Like it
Now did I expect the band who gave us Lovefool to give us a song that interpolates Sabbath and an entire Iron Man cover on the same album? No I did not, but it was a pleasant surprise. I really liked this album. Her voice is great and the compositions were interesting. Favorites were Been It, Never Recover, Lovefool, and Choke.
yeah nice album
First listen and was shocked by how good it was. They are so much more than Lovefool. Super fun edgy production and great poppy guitar and they're Swedish in a way that you don't have to constantly be thinking about how they're Swedish.
Really enjoyable stuff, Lovefool is a hit off course but most other songs here are really catchy and have pretty well thought-out production. The singer's voice is also really good but that Iron Man cover did NOT need to exist
Ni siquiera terminé de escuchar el álbum pero no puedo explicar la alegría que me entró en el cuerpo escuchando las canciones, van a tener mis 5 estrellas termine como termine.
Pleasant to listen to on a nice summer day. Of course the big hit 'Lovefool' carries the album, but there are some nice surprises on here. Like the cover of 'Iron Man' which was positively surprising to me. Just not enough to carry it to a higher rating. 3/5
I'd really only heard Lovefool befre, which was a decent single back in the 90s. One I didn't mind even as a teenager despite myself. The rest of the album sounds pretty similar, though perhaps lest of a love song. The Ironman cover is pretty funny for me, who was a big Ozzy fan back in the day. It has an original sound at least, as does much of the album. Gonna give this a 4, though I'm not sure it's something I'll go back to again, it has a definite charm.
One hit, the rest is boring Pop.
It's fine but not really memorable
Voice ✅ I like girly Songs 🤷♂️3 great songs the rest was meh Accent 😍 I fell in love with her accent!
It's fine, but why the heck is this in the book? Then again, I could ask that question about a LOT of the selections. 2nd listen: made it to Lovefool, which I never want to hear again and gave up. Again, it’s fine. But that’s all it is.
Solid. The hits are very good. The rest is not bad but not memorable.
This album was like trying to drink that A&W chocolate sundae flavored soda. You try gas-lighting yourself the first few songs into liking it, and then it just takes a nosedive so hard you can't even finish the album. I couldn't stand this album after the first two songs.
I remember when Lovefool came out, and I wrote off the band pretty quickly (as much as an 8 year old could), later putting them in a box with Sixpense None the Richer. I still didn't really enjoy the song, but the rest of the album was really quite something. Great basslines! Some really cool melodies. Decent variation! And Black Sabbath!? I do find the singer's voice a tad sickly sweet at times. But, overall, I was really impressed with the album. Go on, 5 Stars!
This album is like that moment when the anaesthetic hits just as you’re going in for an emergency surgery for a serious injury. You were in pain and everything was frantic and stressful, but now you’re in this weird melancholic state where you know there’s a lot wrong but you’re weirdly at peace with it.
Great album start to fish. Ambitious cover of Iron Man but I dug it. And lovefool is an all time classic.
Loved the vibes, definitely wpuld listen again!
Poppier than I thought..graded up for having real guitar sounds. Probably where guitar based rock had to go to live in the pop world.
Apart from Lovefool and one or two other songs, First Band On the Moon has little to offer musically. It’s pleasant and listenable, but lacks substance. I can tolerate it, but I’m not likely to put this in my album rotation anytime soon. 2.5 stars
The album with “Lovefool” on it, a classic 90s one hit wonder. The rest? It's fine, interesting cover of “Iron Man”. Some decent 90s pop, but overall, pretty forgettable outside the one hit
Favorite song: Lovefool
Buenos temas
I'd only heard Lovefool before and I kinda wish we'd left it at that. The rest of the album is...weird. They were really a one hit wonder here, but it sounds like they were very successful outside the U.S.
Swedish band SHOCKS Japanese public by making perfect shibuya-kei album
quite nice. interesting, unique voice, good instrumentals, messed-up lyrics in a good way. i like it. wouldn't listen to this in over and over again but once in a while as something different, definitely. lovely discovery
Softer approach to that 90s shoegaze -00s Radiohead/portishead et al
I just love twee . Sorry
een beetje hetzelfde probleem als r.e.m.: een heel leuk nummer, de rest is wat saai maar, lovefool is wel een heerlijk nummer wat standaard in mijn zomerlijsten staat
This was just okay. Interesting to listen to once but I probably wouldn't again.
The whole album has its distinct sound, and great hits like Lovefool make me go back memory lane. I appreciate the metal influences mixed with poppy music. I think they set a foundation for this genre.
Wow! 11 songs, just clocking in under 40 minutes. Perfect pop songs from the mid-nineties. Sounding absolutely lovely. I think I was expecting something like the Carpenters - it is nothing of the sort. A wonderful Swedish band, with a super smash hit. Honestly, I don't even think that Lovefool is the best song on the album, and I think it's a great song! It's an album that could have been made today, and it wouldn't sound dated at all. Discovering this on a sweltering summer's day, blasting out on the speakers whilst cooking a bolognese is something that will stick with me for a while.
I liked it. It was not what I was expecting, but very enjoyable.
really pop centric, velvet voice, nothing extraordinary in terms of cords but safe isn't always boring.
While i'm sick of loverfool, the rest of the album is nice, and that insane cover of iron man made the listen feel worth having done.
I actually really loved this album. The sound throughout was so upbeat and fun, and I didn't realise it was this band that wrote 'Lovefool'. From start to finish, I thought this was a really great listen. The instrumentation was great throughout, with the drums being a standout throughout. I think it would be hard to review this album and not mention the vocals. They're really stylistic and fit the style of music incredibly well. I think the length of the album was perfect, not too long, but a really great handful of songs. It is quite rare that you will find an album in which the majority of songs are strong. I can't really pinpoint any weak songs in this tracklist, which is just an added bonus. I think that after listening to this, I am going to listen to a lot more releases by The Cardigans. I think this album was a perfect first album to listen to by them. Favourites: Lovefool Been It Heartbreaker Losers
I can’t remember how my brief love affair with The Cardigans began but it was before Lovefool became a hit and was cemented by the cover of Iron Man. Whoever the character portrayed in the songs is, they have a complex relationship with love and the songs are by turns somewhat cavalier about it and fully obsessed with it. What really struck me on this listen that I had forgotten was how incredibly ironic the song Lovefool is in this context. The saccharine sweet “love” song is really a plea from an emotionally unstable lover who wants to be fooled into believing that the object of their obsession feels the same. “I don’t care about anything but you” is a warning not a playful sobriquet. I think this perspective redeems a song which has unflinchingly become synonymous with the flush of new love, and puts the cherry on top of this European pop delicacy.
Much better than I was expecting. All things being equal, it’s a pretty solid album.
agree with alec
after a week of mid to crap albums, this is a massive breath of fresh air
It was fine. Inoffensive almost elevator music. Knew 1 song which was popular in the 90s. Bit too slow and non exciting for me. 2/5
Really like The Cardigans and Nina’s voice. One of my big sorrows in Swedish music that they’re not making music anymore. ’Lovefool’ is a good song that everyone has heard. But that’s about it with this album. I nodded along to some tracks, but I expected way more. The ’Iron Man’ cover was very questionable, but kinda worked a bit at the same time in some strange way. Gran Turismo is a 5/5 star album to me, and clearly superior as an album to me. So I can’t phathom why the author chose this album over that. Oh well.
None of my favourite songs by the Cardigans is on this record. I was left unimpressed by this collection of songs. There is something about the sweet-sounding vocals that are just a bit grating to me. Lovefool is a cool track but the rest I really could live without. Weak 3.
Good pop album. I was thinking of course I know the cardigans and song after song played which I had not heard then track 7 hit “love fool” and I am like I do know the cranberries. Kind of a perfect pop song. Whole album is fine. 3
I love this sort of thing, lovefool does stand above the other songs but it's all good music, catchy and expressive, plus it was recorded on the moon 😮
Grade a pop music. Such a breeze to listen to and catchy as all hell. Great stuff. Lovefool is a classic
suave, agradable, al principio es como golden age, luego va rotando, voz de mujer muy suave, musica chill, ta bien de momento. Disco de la cancion looove me loove, baby you loove me, hate me, hate mee,
Lovely album. The Iron Man cover is an interesting choice and Lovefool is, as always, perfect.
So lovely
Várias músicas diferentes do padrão, criativo, divertido. Me animou mais que muito dos álbuns genéricos, então vai merecer 4.
Only knew two songs of the album. Some of the songs fall quite short but still enjoyable
My introduction to The Cardigans was actually from their Iron Man cover before I knew Lovefool. Always liked that slightly sardonic Swedish female vocal version of it, a great change of pace. Lovefool by itself is a fine song that seems to have been an example of "winning the music lottery" of actually making money in the industry, even though in classic fashion their music doesn't always Sound Like That. First Band On The Moon is the kind of power pop I can respect more than others of the 90s (WEEZER) and definitely has a kind of charm to it.
Fine.
Que fuerte tener un disco con un tema bueno.
From a Finnish perspective, Sweden is/was a superpower of indie pop and Labrador is a record label on par with Sarah Records, Slumberland and Sub Pop. With that in mind, First Band on the Moon is a record worth about 3.5 stars and instead of The Cardigans I would have chosen, for example, these records for the list: - Jens Lekman: When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog - The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters and/or Pet Grief - Acid House Kings: Sing Along with The Acid House Kings - Dungen: Stadsvandringar - The Knife: Deep Cuts - Robyn: Body Talk - Caesars Palace: Cherry Kicks By the way, Long Gone Before Daylight is the best the Cardigans album.
Love the Cardigans
I really liked singers voice. 3.5 overall for me though
Really enjoyed this one. She has a lovely voice and Lovefool is obviously an absolute classic.
So lively
Who’s kid is singing?
Absolute fun, I really enjoyed listening to it. Lovefool might be overplayed, but still a bop.
There's some nice guitar work on this album, but my god, does her voice grate after awhile. It was harder to listen to the longer it went on.
Pretty good
There is a surprising overlap between this list and the bands covered in Todd in the Shadow's One Hit Wonderland. This is a very good album, I love the production on this album, especially the way the drums sound. I've always enjoyed Lovefool, but I also liked Step On Me, Your New Cuckoo, and Heartbreaker (the way they bring in the Black Sabbath riff in the end is amazing). High 4!
The smooth as silk cover of “Ironman” kicks ass and “Lovefool” is a childhood classic, but overall this didn’t hit. Perhaps it’s too twee for me? Idk should have been better, but it wasn’t :/.
🤌
Again... on the beach this is lush! Pleasently surprised by this one - lots of song I didn't realise were from this album, so that was fun to hear. I really liked the transition between the songs and the orchestral stuff. Lots of bangers. I liked!
Her voice is obviously sweet and has a lovely tone. However without any substance behind Cardigans are best when playing riffs and adding something extra to the background but on this it is a little weak to be honest even Love Fool is kinda annoying and seems pointless however it is the standout track.
Some reasonable songs (particularly Lovefool) but overall it’s not that great.
Bit bit too poppy for me.
I know of the cardigans and I know to of their songs and they’re actually great so I’m very excited for this! Really great singer with a great relaxing voice and I love that it’s a perfect mix of 90’s rock and pop! I love how they have a Sabbath cover! It’s always great when artists live artists that don’t really sound like them at all! Honestly one of the best albums of the 90’s! What I will say is that all the songs are very similar. I’d recommend Your new cuckoo, Been it, Heartbreaker, Happy meal II, Step on me, Lovefool, Losers and Great divide.
It WAN very special I love it
Still catchy, still fresh, great vocals, and some fantastic lyrical turns.
This album fucking rips. When there's a super hit on the album everybody ends up forgetting about the rest of it but goddamn this shit holds up. I love how they used the organ throughout. The lyrics are so punchy and thoughtful. The lead just flows through. I just love everything about this Highlights: Your New Cuckoo, Lovefool (ofc), Step On Me
I wasn't the biggest fan of this album, but it was fine. Power pop isn't really my favorite type of music, but it had some songs that were fine, but I actually didn't care for the Iron Man cover. I've heard Lovefool a lot, and that song is catchy, but I don't think I need to listen to this album again.
I DON'T LIKE ROCK
Actually really enjoyed this one.
Decent enough. Lovefool easily best song. Wouldn't listen to again
Unfortunately, their best known song is also by far their worst. This is a very good album, and as it turns out, a very good band.
There was a moment when this album really hit, but after listening to it three more times and getting use to it, I was slowly losing my interest on it. First of all, the main attraction of this record is undoubtedly Nina Persson. Her voice sounds incredibly soft, sweet, delicate and catchy. However, I wish she showed a bit more variety with her voice. She certainly doesn't sound exactly the same throughout the whole project, as there are changes in projection, with some soft spots (like "Heartbreaker" or "Happy Meal II"), and others where she sounds louder (like in "Never Recover" or "Step on Me"). It is in terms of melodies where the monotony shows a bit, as there is no real change in tone from track to track. Nevertheless, her voice is always really pleasant to listen to. Thankfully, the instrumentation does show more diversity, as it blends different genres like indie pop, pop rock, chamber pop or even lounge, and also has a nice range of instruments. Apart from the rock traditional set of drums, bass and guitar, there are some orchestral type of instruments, such as flutes, violins and horns. All of them accompany the voice incredibly well, both in the softer moments and the energetic ones. For example, in the already mentioned "Heartbreaker", the music is very quiet, the drumming is peaceful and there are a trumpet and a clavinet that make the song sound even more beautiful. Another case, but in this instance in the energetic territory, is "Never Recover", which has a fast and busy drumming and rapid acoustic guitar playing. Finally, I can't end the review without mentioning how incredibly catchy and memorable are the hits "Step on Me" and "Lovefool". The only reason I'm not giving this a higher score is for what I mentioned at the beginning. The more I listen to this, the less value I get out of it. Nonetheless, I still enjoy how sweet and pleasant it is.
This was fine but not special.
Quirky and delightful! Great palette cleanser after London Calling
this was cute. and i dunno if i'm selling it short by labeling it as such. will return
This album is elevated, perhaps even above Broadcast, because their vocalist has the cutest voice the 90s had to offer. The tunes are tight and fun, as is the full album. Easy 4
I was pleasantly surprised that this band is so much more than just "Lovefool", including a charming cover of "Iron Man" that I would never have expected to work as well as it did. This things seems to presage some of the woman-led indie soft rock (a la Feist) that would come about a decade later.
This turned out to be far more than the clever 90s Swedish pop record I half-remembered it as. I already liked their previous album a lot, partly because it sounded as though someone had forgotten to issue the band with the manual for being a band. There was lounge-pop, bossa nova, indie, easy listening, ABBA-adjacent precision, and a general feeling that the wrong drawer of parts had somehow produced something oddly elegant. Here, the manual has arrived. The band sounds tighter, sharper and more deliberate. Not heavy in the obvious sense, but with real muscle under the surface. The songs snap into place. The guitars have more purpose. The rhythm section has more shove. The arrangements still have all the cocktail sparkle and mid-century poise, but the structure underneath is much firmer. The key, I think, is that this is not simply winsome lounge-pop. There is a genuine heavy-rock and metal sensibility hiding underneath it. The Sabbath covers are the giveaway. They are not novelty covers. They are method statements. This is a band taking doom, dread, damage and revenge, then removing the expected heaviness. No thunderous bloke theatre. No grand Kerrang gestures. The material is rebuilt as immaculate, polite, easy-listening unease. Once that clicks, the whole album changes shape. On the surface, it is beautifully arranged pop: airy vocals, neat guitars, bright hooks, lounge textures, tasteful furniture, cocktail-corner polish. But the lyric sheet is rancid. These are not cute songs. They are songs about jealousy, role exhaustion, self-erasure, romantic bargaining, social performance, resentment, damage, and people trying to keep relationship-shapes intact long after the actual warmth has gone. The easy-listening frame is not decoration. It is the mechanism. The music keeps preparing rooms, smoothing faces, pouring drinks, reheating the vol-au-vents, and making everything presentable. Meanwhile, the emotional food hygiene rating is collapsing. Happiness becomes staging. Love becomes performance. Couplehood becomes décor. People who probably should not be inside relationships at all find themselves suspended in atomic-era aspic meticulousness. That is why the big hit is so much darker in context than its reputation suggests. It is basically the 90s equivalent of everyone misreading “Every Breath You Take.” The point is not “love me because love is lovely.” It is “I am not ready for the collapse yet, so please keep performing love until I can bear reality.” Relationship as temporary load-bearing fiction. The chorus is sugar. The premise is awful. The album keeps circling that idea from different angles: people stuck inside private scripts, trying to use relationships as validation, shelter, revenge, proof of normality, or social scaffolding. Nobody quite sees anyone else clearly. Everyone is bargaining with damage. Everyone thinks they are cleverer than the other losers in the room, until the room turns out to include them as well. That is what makes the Sabbath material fit so well. It is not a clever interruption. It belongs. The damaged, unreadable figure nobody cares about becomes part of the same emotional suite. The album has been about failed recognition all along - lovers, fools, monsters, people trapped in their own little worlds. Structurally, this is immaculate. It is not just a good batch of songs. It behaves like a suite of movements. Songs flow into each other, endings fray rather than resolve, and the whole record seems to open room after room in the same emotionally frozen house. This is what prog should have aimed for more often: not grand gestures, but well-executed holisticity. The whole thing feels like spite contained within Frank Lloyd Wright. Beautiful structure, clean lines, careful joinery, mid-century taste - and poison built into the walls. It is dysfunctional recipe-card music for Stepford Couples. Perfect little servings of romantic damage, plated with terrifying care. By the end, the emotional shape is clear. Relationships frost over when the participants stay inside their own private worlds. They had something once, perhaps only for a moment, and mistook that moment for a structure. After that, everyone keeps arranging the room while the actual connection quietly chokes. An absolute little horror show. Beautifully made, horribly sour, and far heavier than it sounds. Five stars. Now excuse me while I choke on a canapé.
lovefool is cool but i think the rest of this album definitely has more to offer. it reminded me of some twee bands like talulah gosh or tiger trap, but with maybe a little more bossa nova or jazz elements, i'm not sure. it was a little more falalalala than i'm usually into but that's okay. favorite tracks: losers
What a beautiful mix of genres!! A little bit of disco, electric, pop and many more. I fell in love with the first listen. Really unique voice and sound. The lyrics perfectly blended the music and the vocals.
I really enjoyed some of these songs, others not so much.
Great to hear this again. A 4 may be a little much but it was a great listen!
It was perfectly fine but totally inessential.
Not the worst 1 star but it’s not great
Disappointing lack of 90s indie gems (e.g. Carnival). Fine enough
Not an album I’ve heard previously and not one I’ll be listening to again, but nice enough in parts and two stars for there being at least a couple of songs better than the single, although these may have been released as singles too I suppose, who knows/cares? Tom.
p791. 1996. 1 star. Sickly sweet 90s pop with really annoying little girl vocals and one bubblegum hit. WTF is this doing on the list?
Nice Indie Pop. Everyone knows Lovefool, but I was surprised by Ironman.
I knew they had some bangers but didn’t know they had a full album of them! Even the Iron Man cover is better than the original (not that I like the original). Good stuff!
Yeah this was proper good. Love that all the songs blend into eachother. The first like 6 songs are great. Some proper sweetness from nina with the occasional punky bite. Step on me is a bit pavementy in places. And bloody lovefool is a perfect song aint it.
Bit more interesting than I thought it would be....not sure I need to play it again though! Lovefool carries the weight of the album, but losers, step on me and the great divide are decent songs, the iron man cover is though is awful. generous 3
Nice interplay of instruments. Always enjoy a flute or a piccolo or whatever it is Guitars sound good. Her voice is distinctive. First 4 songs good. Never Recover ruined it. Be better if My Favourite Game was on it. Got too Corny and shite lyrics got repetitive by the end. Iron Man was odd but A for trying summat different.
Lovefools good. Not sure on the iron man cover
Nice vibes but I've to talk about "Lovefool": I came in contact with it because of "Romeo + Juliet" (1996). It was always on the telly with the beautiful Claire Danes and the awesome young Leonardo DiCaprio.
Fine listening, but not mind-blowing in any way. Nice enough lead voice, nice enough melodies, but that sums up my thoughts on this album: nice enough.
Mikey Likey
Only a couple of songs and some interesting instrumentation keep this from being a one-star. It was a hard listen. Cardigans have such strong songs; this is insubstantial, bordering on irritating (her thin, twee voice and terrible rhymes). Maybe it was of an era. If I'd bought this instead of Frenté (same-same) I'd probably have loved it. Tried.
The music is ok but it’s hard to listen to that little girly voice. A very generous 3.
Did recognise Lovefool. Overall a very poppy sound and the sugary sweet vocal wore thin.
Never heard of them until today. Pop with some bossa nova, some Black sabbath, some japanese indie rock and some more. Very creative.
I LOVED THIS!! WOW! :D A little surprise in every song. Fun, deep, exciting! I'm a little sad that I didn't know this album before, but that's okay, there's plenty of time to listen to it again : ) I knew I would give it five stars by the time the Iron Man cover finished, but then the little horn section on the last song just delighted me. Oh boy!
I was not prepared for this. The Lovefool band is actually surprisingly legitimate rockers with deep love for metal music in particular? I’m shocked but pleasantly surprised
Lovefool was a huge in 1996. Everybody loved it. Grandmas, little kids, soccer moms. It was a huge hit. It was on movie soundtracks. Just a perfect little pop song. And like all good pop songs, everyone got sick of it, but it’s probably been long enough that people like it again. The good news is the Cardigans didn’t let themselves be defined by Lovefool. The bad news is the rest of this album is kind of uneventful. 3.3
This is great pop music, top notch pop music. Usually pretty catchy. Sometimes pretty clever. But, with the exception of Nina Persson's vocals, there's nothing that really feels distinctive or interesting about it. Pretty good and enjoyable, but not great. 3/5. I suppose there's an argument to be made that this album really captures the time, the "mainstream indie rock" sound that this represents. Ok, but it's not on my list.
Ok - like her voice - Love fool a classic - not quite enough to be a 4, but decent nevertheless
Maravilhoso! Uma banda meio one hit wonder, mas com um álbum inteiro incrível.
WOW
happy but surprised the rest of this album measures up to lovefool
Excellent. Surprised I never heard their music before.
The only song I didn't enjoy on here was the cover of Iron Man. The rest of it was fun to listen to.
I gotta give this another listen. It may be a 4 for me!
I like this, it’s nice
Iron Man Been It Step On Me Happy Meal II Never Recover
This was a good listen and I believe it is a necessary inclusion as not many female-fronted bands appear in such a list. It reminded me in some of the arrangements to other artists such as Shiina Ringo and Weyes Blood. While it is not an otherworldy record, it feels like a landmark moment somehow. Extra point for not being from the UK. 7/10 [KEEP]
Immediately digging it. The woody flute at the end of "Your New Cuckoo" has really sent me. This is a very fun album and I am loving the cheeky, poppy-ness. I enjoyed this one and could see myself getting more into it with more listens. I found the sounds in the background of the song unexpected and interesting.
I didn’t know love fool was in this album. It was okay, sometimes her Hugh voice annoyed me and the whispers. But I liked the overall theme. Interesting choice to cover iron man. I think it grew on me a little more after the 2nd listen.
Цих я знаю) Мають бути прикольні)
This is probably how Boomers feel when they see a Led Zeppelin album on the list.
That filtered fake old timey vocal effect gets pretty annoying fast. I suppose on this album they were the band to make the whole 90s Easy Listening fad really pay off as a group with (mostly) original songs. Personally I find it all a bit too contrived, bland and boring.
What a pleasant surprise. I was dreading the possibility of other albums where there is a one hit wonder and the rest of it doesn't work for me (looking at you, Madness) but this was a nice record. I like the Iron Man cover.
I didn't know the band. Good tune. Good album.
Not awful, but not great. Her voice is a bit weak and a bit whiny. Not my favourite.
Rv
This album is for sure great, and I would really recommend it to anyone who is trying to discover their taste.
4/10
excellent production love
I like the beats and energy and her voice got really old after a while, for me.
Wait, where has this album been all my life?? Lovefool is a banger, always, and I somehow love it even more in the context of the rest of the album. I don't know, I'm tired today and don't know what else to say but that this is a whole vibe. I love their take on Iron Man. Dude. I need a date with a lazy river, cool drink in hand, and this album. That would be a good day.
Favorite track(s): Your New Cuckoo, Been It, Never Recover, Step on Me, Lovefool
Nina Persson’s cool, almost innocent delivery, the bright melodies, the elegant arrangements, the polished pop shape. Underneath that, a lot of these songs are sour, passive-aggressive, wounded, or emotionally evasive. That contrast is the whole trick. The album sounds sweet without actually being naive.