Album Of The Day

Big fan

Baaaannnngggeeerrrrr

COME ON ARE YOU KIDDING ME. such a comfy timeless and beautifully arranged album :)

Propably the only album on the list from Malmö.

Iconic! Love the album :>.

There is absolutely a chance that the existence of Lovefool renders this album an instant five star record regardless of the content of the remaining tracks. Lovefool is one of the best songs ever written, I will not be taking questions or comments.

Sneaky masterpiece disguised as polite Swedish pop. Every song sounds harmless until it’s stuck in your head for three days.

a great time!!!! knew one song already. had a lot of fun

The vibe that the Cardigans give off is unlike any other. This album had no skips, and I was just dancing about the entire time. Absolutely no notes.

This is an album where, just... everything clicks. The instrumentation is rich and varied. The songs are fun, immediately catchy, and varied in style from one to another. The sequencing is on point, with seamless transitions making the full listen feel cohesive, and the lovely closing track wrapping everything up nicely. And of course, Nina Persson's voice is absolutely angelic!! Now, all of that's just me clinically listing off points I enjoyed about the album, but I really can't accurately convey how their softly sung cover of Iron Man made me feel. I read about it beforehand and thought it sounded ridiculous on paper, but in reality it showcases all of the band's strengths while genuinely doing justice to Black Sabbath original (which I also love!). From that point and for the rest of the album, I had a big ol' grin on my face; I was 100% sold on their sound, and it took First Band On The Moon from a strong 4 to a 5 in my eyes. Sidenote, this genuinely sounds like some of the Japanese pop/rock I love. It's no surprise the band found a strong audience over there, according to the book! Standouts: Your New Cuckoo • Heartbreaker • Never Recover • Lovefool • Losers • Iron Man • Choke

Prefer the first album, personally but it’s Christmas Eve and I’m feeling generous. 5 Stars

A fun and sunny jangly upbeat pop

LOVED

So many nods to Black Sabbath hiding in this and am then full on cover of Ironman. Ended up loving this album. Took 2 listens.

Honestly incredible, right up my alley. Plus a super unique cover of Iron Man??

9/10 Favorite: Lovefool

Manifique!!

This album is like a velvet punch — sweet, dreamy, and then suddenly, oh god there’s darkness under the sugar. The Cardigans make indie pop that sounds like a smile masking a threat. It’s the musical version of someone stirring their coffee slowly before saying something devastating. Rating: 4.7/5 Short Review: Space-age lounge pop with fangs. Every track sounds like it’s flirting and plotting simultaneously. Favorite Track: “Lovefool” — the anthem for anyone who’s ever begged for affection while fully knowing it’s a terrible idea.

Awesome!

Most excellent! Love how well this one flowed!

This record blew me away! I only knew Lovsfool but I eally enjoyed every other track too. I can't wait to dig more into this!

Holy shit this is my vibe. This is pure indie pop at its finest and sharpest. There are so much songs here that just got me to react very impressed

приятная музыка, сохранил. напомнило 500 дней лета)

I really enjoyed this one. Easy listening experience.

I really enjoyed this one. It’s light, fun, and charming, and definitely more than just pop. The contrast between the sweet, almost retro melodies and the darker, emotionally tangled lyrics works beautifully. There’s a cleverness to it that doesn’t take itself too seriously. A solid, stylish listen that I’d come back to when I want something catchy with a bite.

I like this a lot!

I write often in these reviews about albums that have one-off songs that are particular favorites of mine- just yesterday I wrote about Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" being one of my top 25-30 favorite songs of all time. It's not really surprising that these great albums sometimes carry a single song that is truly a huge standout, and this album is a continuation, as "Lovefool" is maybe a top 15 favorite song of mine. I absolutely love it. It's also firmly high up on my list of "songs I desperately wish I wrote". The chord progression, the lyrics, the fantastic vocal affects that make you swoon for the singer... I feel like when I hear this song it is written about me, that I'm the other end of the singer's plight. Her voice is so tender and welcoming, and the spin of the lyrics in the chorus of : "Love me say that you love me Fool me Go on and fool me Love me Pretend that you love me" is so sad and yet enchanting! And when she sings: "I can't care 'bout anything but you" ooof.. my heart! This track also has one of the best bass grooves ever in the genre of pop/rock. (the pedant in me wants this genre to be something like "Disco romance alt pop rock) It's also mixed perfectly; I literally would not turn a single knob on anything in this mix. It's not super obvious but some of the songs blend into eachother- and I love that. "Been that" into "Heartbreaker" is a great example. Speaking of "Heartbreaker", I feel like this is a Fiona Apple song but sung by a sweetheart instead of someone that would intimidate me (I love Fiona Apple). The added instrumentation throughout is perfectly executed. The flutes, the soft trumpet and vibraphone(?) and soft whispers in "Heartbreaker".. it's all incredible! These aren't flavors added to a stew just for the sake of diversity; they are layers that enhance and bolster the musical and lyrical intent. I love that these aren't all just cutesy slow love songs. So many modern bands find a sound that they like and then they sit on it inside of that singular record, and then change it up or experiment on their next release, but The Cardigans don't do that here. They'll have tracks like "Lovefool", and then they have the upbeat drum-forward high energy "Never Recover". Then they do a cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and it's amazing! Every song has either some kind of special charm in it or some interesting instrumentation or fun twist. I love the album artwork. It's a great example of capturing a moment in time. I feel quite dumb that this is the first time I'm listening to this album full through (at least that I can recall). It's masterful, and even though "Lovefool" is one of my favorite songs already, this feels like possibly my favorite discovery on this listening project. I'm so happy to see it included in the list. Strong 5/5!

+I've only listened to 'step on me' and 'lovefool' beforehand, which are some of my favorite songs +interesting sounds +nina persson's voice is so sweet +no skips

The first band I have ever been obsessed with. Consumed this, together with their follow-up "Gran Turismo". It's heavy and light, dark and sweet, bleak and positive. Nina is my goddess.

Wow, that was so much better than i remembered. The Iron Man cover has got to be one of the best in history! Nina Persson has such a pleasant way of singing about choking to death!!! Liked Songs Added: Been It Lovefool Iron Man Choke

This is that love me band, reminds me a lot of Japanese Breakfast

5/5

Incredible album, huge fan of this one. Great singing, interesting songs, that iron man reinterpretation is awesome. This is the sort of album you hope to discover from a list like this!

4.75

I like this album like I like my coffee, genre bending but still true to rock. 10/10

Fun and light, but still relaxed pop

I adore this album, I’ve knows a few songs off it but have not listened to it all but it is amazing

excellent album, some weird themes, lovefool is a classic

Love fool was a favorite, but the deep cuts are pretty great too. Renewed fan.

Very cool

One of my all time favorite albums, and bands, and I am so happy it made this list. I have listened to this album so much over the past 3 decades. After this album, I remember going around searching for their other albums and struggling to find imports. I think I ended up overpaying at a local Tower Records for one, and eventually finding another 3 years later in Germany.

FUCKING BAD ASSSSSSSS

Curti, bem meu tipo de música mesmo, alternativo anos 90 pop-rock com umas leves pitadas de lounge e etc. Surpreso que nunca tinha ouvido essa banda antes, até que chegou no maior hit deles, Lovefool, e eu imediatamente o reconheci. Não entendo como alguém ouve esse disco inteiro e tem a coragem de dizer que essa banda é one hit wonder. O album todo é consistente em instrumentalização e nos vocais. Foi um daqueles discos que tu ate deseja que fosse mais longo, que você simplesmente não quer que acabe. Analogo a um abraço, ou talvez a um bolo de cenoura com cobertura de chocolate. Coisa assim. Não consigo apontar nenhum defeito ou desavença pessoal minha então: 5/5

I was blown away by this, it is a really clever and creative album. It’s quite jarring to hear lovefool amongst all these songs I’ve not heard before. It is a great pop song and if id known how cool this album is i would have listened to it sooner. It covered loads of genres and went to some weird places, looking forward to my next listen

Nina Persson has such a beautiful voice, and anyone who likes this should definitely check out their later albums. This is nice in a frothy pop way, but the later ones have some great mature themes and writing (and bit like A-Ha's trajectory).

With th exception if the needless and Nouvelle Vague-esque Iron Man cover, this really is a marvelous album. It hits its mark pretty much without fail time after time; knowingly twee in places but offset with a little dusting of rock guitar, minor chords hooks and sweet melodies. And Nina's mellifluous voice.

So many great and diverse songs on here that I didn’t know. Should have been more famous. A modern day ABBA.

lounge-y indie pop with subtle electronic influences is my SHIT man. love this! I've heard lovefool a million times, never knew they made it, such a great song. the trip-hop rendition of iron man by black sabbath came out of no where. so strange but I love it. i think part of the reason i loved this album as much as i did was because spring is starting and it was sunny and 12 degree celius, which is lowkey cold asl but its okay because its better than -5 degrees with snow everywhere god i hate winter so much. this album matched the sheer joy and whimsy i was experiencing today and for that im thankful

Took me to the moon with this album.

Well, that’s a 5. Been a while since I’ve had an, “oh, this is THAT song” moment, but I sort of felt it coming with the 754 million plays that “Lovefool” has on Spotify. Truly cannot believe that wasn’t in my big playlist until now. But, hey, that’s just one of the 11 tracks on here – how do the rest hold up? Well, I can safely confirm that, for my ears, this is the type of “fun” album we haven’t really gotten since that Scissor Sisters album, or at the very least, the type of instrumentation that’s just bubbly & happy, mixed with some rather sad lyricism full of self-doubt. I love a good “happy song / sad lyrics” combo when it’s done right, and the Cardigans know how to do it really well. I genuinely thought I hadn’t heard of them at all until now, but again, “Lovefool”. There’s some super good standouts here for my ears – “Your New Cuckoo” feels like a super genuine opener about 2 people just falling in love with some city pop vibes, and I’m ok with buying into that. “Been It” is really catchy, reminiscent of “Girlfriend” by MJ, though it’s a bit repetitive over its last 90 seconds or so. “Never Recover” is awesome; big Teen Titans energy with a 60s feel, and it’s really easy to get caught in the groove of it. “Step on Me” has some devastatingly sad lyrics, but the instrumentation makes it feel really modern and a great listen. For some reason, the elevator music / hard rock structure of “Losers” really worked for me. I think that cover of Iron Man deserves its own paragraph – it’s a super bold move to take such an iconic heavy metal track (which I’ve only really heard in passing, without paying super close attention to; it’ll be in the list, I’m sure of it) & make it a lo-fi lounge-y track that you might hear in a modern cozy indie game about like, serving coffee or something. I thought it was cool as hell, & for 1996, feels insanely timely for 2025. That exact style of production feels more relaxed & normal now, & I really wonder how they settled on that nearly 30 years ago. I would’ve flipped “Great Divide” & “Choke” – “Choke” is a really nice track, and it has a bit of a “Billie Eilish does Mr. Blue Sky” vibe going for it that I think works great as a closer… if “Great Divide” didn’t exist. I think the glittery instrumentation on that track is lovely, I think the Sinatra-esque tone to the vocals and structure works really well, and as a sort of narrative ending to the abusive relationship talk that permeates this album, ending on a track that finally has some sort of happy positive conclusion would’ve felt satisfying. Regardless, I really, REALLY liked this – it’s a breezy 39 minutes, a welcome pop cleanser with a hint of edge, & another one for the “this is THAT song” pile that will certainly continue to grow. It’s a super easy 5 for me, and I’m very glad it’s in the list; super deserved, and highly recommended. Great, great stuff here.

That cover of Iron Man is one of the coolest ever.

I wash shocked and how creative this record was only knowing this bands lead single. Feels like if stereo lab became a 90’s alt rock band (at least with the amount of vibes/marimba playing). Some cool brass/woodwind incorporations too throughout. Lovefool is essential, first three tracks are great. Honestly no bad songs or playing to me such a cool discovery!

Good shit

This is a masterclass in pop music and I fully admit as a middle-aged, straight, white man that this is and has always been one of my top albums of all time! I can't call it a "guilty pleasure" because for me it's 100% pleasure and 0% guilt. Production on this album is delightfully eclectic with a different approach to the mix and unique drum sounds on on every track. There's great variety from song to song with some bubblegum pop, some retro 70s vibes, a creative Black Sabbath cover, and more. The only real common thread through this album as a whole that brings it all together is Nina Persson's sweet and charming vocals. Most of the songs are themed around love but the tone shifts from song to song with new infatuation, being vulnerable, emotional manipulation, insecurity and desperation, power dynamics, feeling trapped and becoming disillusioned. Favorite Tracks: Heartbreaker, Step on Me, Never Recover and Choke

Sure it's bubblegum pop, but it's difficult to believe how many absolutely fantastic vocal melodies are on this album. Combine that with clever, succinct songwriting and unusual instrumentation, and this is one of the very best albums on this list. The nods to Black Sabbath (both the cover and sneaking the riff to "Black Sabbath" into "Heartbreaker") are nice, totally unexpected touches.

Excellent album.

Solid album. Nice vocals. I enjoyed the whole thing. Not my usual listening but I wouldn't turn it off.

The Cardigans stand out as one of the few "twee" bands to make it (and not just indie circlejerk "make it" like Bull & Shitbastian -- actually make it). it's honestly hard to tell how they even DID make it. "Lovefool" was in William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet for like 10 seconds in a scene nobody really remembers, but the soundtrack sold well. i guess people were just drawn to the strength of the song. for a hot second, The Cardigans had a time in the spotlight, paced around a bit, and then walked back home. for a genre of snarky doofuses named after a type of sweater, this counts as winning the lottery. you could say they sold out with First Band on the Moon -- i'd argue their aesthetic choices are no more smooth than they were on Life. i'd also argue that there are multiple songs on the record that are as good, if not better than "Lovefool", like "Been It" and (as retroactively recognized by the internet) "Step on Me". basically, the past few years of my life have seen me falling in love with FBotM's space age continuation of the last album's globetrot. in each song, there's a delightful little hook and a mean little turn of phrase, said with a bitter smile on the lips. The Cardigans remain one of the few legitimate practitioners of the black arts of the 1990's best known as "irony". and the Sabbath covers DO make sense. what's more Swedish than heavy metal?

This album really got me by surprise, it was really great. Unique sound with the vocals and the instruments, feels very ahead of it's time. Everything about it was very unique, I feel like this inspired florence + the machine some and a lot of more modern pop like clairo

Wow what is this. Ever since I first gave "Lovefool" a proper listen as an adult, I've thought it was so cool, and the rest of this album matches that energy. I truly loved this album. It's weird in a unique way that is still accessible. The reference to "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" rocks, and the cover of "Iron Man"--a song I've always hated--is amazing. Loved it all.

For something that was definitely more in the one hit wonder camp (I didn't even realise this was the Lovefool band at first despite still hearing it regularly). I was surprised with how much of the album I enjoyed. The first few songs were alright and had me expecting this would be sitting at roughly a 3. But the album was surprisingly middle loaded and really got me hooked in the stretch between Never Recover and Losers. The last few songs (Iron Man - Choke) are all still good and I prefer them over the first few tracks, but the middle of this album does a lot of heavy lifting. I really liked the indie style on a lot of this. A really cool surprise of an album honestly

now thats what i call sex music

Saved Prior: Your New Cuckoo, Been It, Never Recover, Step On Me, Lovefool, Iron Man, Choke Not Saved: 11. Losers Saved: 10. Great Divide 9. Happy Meal II 8. Been It 7. Step On Me 6. Heartbreaker 5. Iron Man 4. Choke 3. Never Recover 2. Your New Cuckoo 1. Lovefool Overall Notes: I love these Swedes so much. They had the juice to make Lovefool, possibly the most perfect pop song of all time, but stayed true to their inner indie freak and recorded whatever they wanted to make. If that included a lounge Black Sabbath cover that kinda fucks then so be it. If The Cardigans have no fans I am dead.

One of the best pop albums I've ever heard. Every song is interesting and charming, the "Iron Man" cover is fucking awesome. Love the singers voice, it is very sweet. "Lovefool" is a banger and yet it possibly gets overshadowed by other songs here like "Heartbreaker", "Step On Me", and "Choke". What a killer fuckin album

I know several songs by The Cardigans and love them all (Lovefool is a spectacular hit) but I have never listened to a full album by this group. I love this even more than I expected to. There's the blending of pop and '90s indie rock that I expected, and Nina's voice is perfect of course, but the sum of it is really perfect to my ears - good flow track to track and no skips. This scratches my Rilo Kiley itch and makes me want to dig into more albums by The Cardigans.

I loved it. Even the Iron Man cover.

My uncle played this version of "Iron Man" for me when I was a kid, but I hadn't heard it since that time. 4 stars for dredging up a pleasant memory, and one more because the rest of the album is pretty great too.

OK, wow, I had a good impression of this album going into it but I didn't realize that it's wall-to-wall bops. A worthy addition to the canon.

Well that's some damn good pop rock, don't think there was a single track I didn't enjoy. The Black Sabbath cover somehow worked, and it was nice to find out finally where Lovefool came from.

Loved this. Instant 5 for me. Upbeat and catchy but also different. Lovefool is one of the best songs of the 90s but the whole album rips. Been it and your new cuckoo are great. Feel like an early progenitor of the theatrical art girl rock style mitski has gotten famous for

This album rules. I fell in love by the time I got to Lovefool and then wanted to marry this album. Great stuff. Call me Mr Rogers because I’m a huge cardigan guy now

Had a bit of trouble at first getting past what sounds like kind of a muddier mix? But love the songs - Sabbath references are fun. Step On Me was a highlight. Some sounds of Mitski, Beths, Big Thief throughout. So much more than just Lovefool.

Was nice, even knew some numbers

The second half of this album SLAPS

I don't know what it is about her voice. Lulls me into a happy place.

got acquainted with this one in semi-recent memory but this revisit rly solidifies it as a favorite. even before ur chewing on the wonderful melodies its simply one of the most characterful albums i can think of...feels so entirely aesthetically unified that u start to wonder why the black sabbath quotes were ever jarring. overwhelmingly , unstoppable gender. tastes like cinnamon and cloves...a big jug of wassail and an endless starry sky that u can see from ur smoky balcony turning all ur pain into a beautiful haze. man i used to be able to write stuff like that all the time i need to re-learn that!

Loverfool is an all time classic and the rest of the album is not far behind. The perfect blend of sincerity with rock sensibilities

I was always a fan of "Lovefool" (as well as "My Favourite Game") but I never really thought to pursue listening to more of the Cardigans. Turns out I missed out! I love this! It's absolutely delightful and their take on Black Sabbath is glorious. I'd have listened to this a lot.

Sweet! I appreciate this entire album!

Geez. Sometimes your first impression is just wrong. Lovefool is one of those songs that makes me feel crazy --- everyone seemed to love it so much and I just couldn't stand the sound of it. So I wasn't super excited to see this album here. But holy cow! I loved it so much! By the time I'd gotten to Lovefool, my feelings toward that track had softened significantly. (It is still definitely not my favorite. But nearly every other song could be...)

Being extremely familiar with lovefool I’ve long had a soft spot for The Cardigans. The rest of this lovely, lounge ride was new to me. Who’d have thought this band should cover Iron Man?! Terrific!

In my Top 5 Albums of ALL TIME. 200 STARS!!!

Естественно у кардиганов слышал я до этого только одну песню. И она мне нравилась. Радует, что та же вокалистка, у неё такой сладкий голос, мечтательный. Мне заходит ) А, я вру. Lovefool тоже слышал и мне тоже нравится. Ой, такие романтические лёгко-роковые треки, очень сладкие. Мне нравятся! Сегодня день такой приятный, складный, всё сходится, музыыка этому помогает здорово Losers что-то прям ооооочень зашло, я даже перематывал чтобы по тексту пройтись. А это хороший знак. По итогу это пять. Это люти понк, это кайф.

5/5. Love this crunchy and poppy arrangement, well-written pop songs and yet the instrumentation puts the drums at the front, which is an excellent choice because of the skill of this drummer. Each song stands out and is so fun, yes, even the iron man song. I honestly respect the boldness to do a cover that way. Album is fun as hell, gives indie mixed with portishead. Best Song: Been It, Lovefool, Choke

Never heard of them, and I went on a real journey with this one. Felt mildly positive at first, real chill then "Lovefool" really perked me up, caught myself bouncing my knee while it was going. That one's an absolute bop, which, there's a part of me the often gets self-conscious when I learn my clear favorite songs off an album were the big mainstream radio hit singles. That happened to me with Jefferson Airplane, for instance. I'd never heard anything from these guys, though, so I think I can be less worried that I'm a secret lazy osmosis listener who just gets told what to like. In this case at least. Then, uh, hm that "Iron Man" cover, huh. I don't think I liked it, but I threw it on the highlights playlist anyway because goddamn that kind of lunatic decision deserves respect.

Great songs

10 out of 10

Wonderful album. Every song is great.

Great album. A+!

I’m going to get the vibyl

What a charming album! Very unique as well. I don't really have any problems with it. I have a weak spot to smooth transitions and this got those too. 4.5 first listen. Might grow or decrease on me over time

Absolutely loved it. Did not know them aside from a song or two and have added them to my downloaded albums, going to explore more.

I’ve loved Lovefool since I first heard it back in the 90s, and have really liked everything I’ve heard from them but this is the first time I’ve actually listened to an album. So good!

heartbreaker, step on me, lovefool ♡ loved this one a lot

W.O.W. I’d never heard of this album or this band. To my knowledge, I’d never heard any of their music (then “Lovefool” came on). I’m blown away. It definitely starts hot, cools off to some tracks I’m not as into but still like, then picks back up with immaculate feel and groove. What a tight band with such a well-defined sound. Plenty of bands attempt a 60’s-style sound and either go too far and sound like stereotypical music from that era, and some don’t go far enough and it doesn’t have enough of that feel. They nailed it with this album. There’s funk, jazz, rock, blues, and soul influences all over this and I could not get enough. I didn’t know who they were but I do now and I almost want to put this whole project on pause to listen to their entire discography. I just might.

An awesome mix of rock and psychedelia. I unabashedly rocked out to this one. Certainly put a different spin on “Iron Man”.

Great record.

Now this was a welcome surprise,step on me and lovefool are both bangers along with the cover of iron man.This album should be talked about more it’s excellent.

This was an incredible listen. I of course knew of the hit Lovefool. But every track on this album was a banger in my opinion. So much so that I spent the rest of the day listening to their whole discography! New fan for sure.

It's not always a sound I want but on the right day The Cardigans slap. Also, Iron Man!

actually really good pop music

This is off to the right start. fun band, great lead. Never Recover has this weird juxtaposition of bubblegum pop and some tense chords. THIS IS THE LOVEFOOL BAND?!?! Damn what a delightful album.

Was already one of my life-long favorite albums before this generator. I cant say enough good things about the Cardigans, or this album. Lovefool being the biggest hit. But digging deeper, youll find some real hidden gems! (Including Sabbath)

Total surprise.

Yummy

Probably my favourite album of all time, so easy to listen to, sickly sweet

Oh man - this record threw me back and I realise how criminally under rated this band feels to me. The musicianship is mind blowing - production perfect - there isn’t one song that doesn’t fit - and at their poppiest this band is gold - even with the overly sweet and possibly omnipresent single in 1996 ‘Lovefool’ - it’s still subtly brilliant. Crown jewel to me is the Sabbath cover.

Really enjoyed this album

Another band whose name I've heard a lot but never checked out. This is my jam. Absolutely loved it and will have to dig deeper.

I had heard the tracks that get radio play before and really liked them, but it turns out the whole album is excellent

love these guys

so good!

2nd listen. I was surprised about how much I liked this album the first time I listened to it, but somehow now, listening to it for the second time, I’m still surprised. I think this is the first 5 star album for me on here that hasn’t been from a band that I am really a fan of (although I should probably listen to them more).

I have so much to talk about relating to this album, so apologies to whoever reads this if you choose to do so, although I doubt anyone will. Firstly, I've been looking forward to listening to this album for years, with it always being something I wanted to get around to listening to, but always forgetting. This is because not only is Lovefool easily one of the best, if not the best, pop hit of the 1990s, but because The Cardigans have always been compared to and been put into this bubble along with some of my other favorite bands, with Cloudberry Jam (which sadly seems to have been mostly lost in the streaming age), Stereolab, and one of my favorite bands of all time, Komeda. Cloudberry Jam always had some jazzy sensibilities, Stereolab, who's pretty well known, was the electronic one, and Komeda has a bigger alt-rock focus. The Cardigans, however, were far more pop-y then those others, and it had me worried I might not care for this quite as much as those other bands, but this was just as excellent as those. I love the whispery singing of Nina Persson, and they completely understand what I am looking for with a song, with each movement of a piece being satisfying in its own way, and they know when to bring into horns and woodwinds and all sorts of really creative stuff that sets their music apart without being too out there. I'm happy to finally listened to this. If you disagree with me, then know I'm the type of person to give a Black Sabbath album a three, and enjoy this cover of Iron Man far more than the original. Amazing album. What can I say, the Swedes make good music. Also, just to make this review more niche than it already is, the bass riff in Lovefool is the same as Persona 4 Golden's intro theme, and that's knowledge I don't know what to do with. Also also, the first song sounds like a Katamari song, even more bonus points there. God, I love this feel good shit, pump it into my veins.

Beautiful, lush pop songs filled with 60s grooviness, jazziness, a bit of lo-fi (notably on the vocals and some synths), and all sorts of synths to match it's ethereal or triumphant moods. At times can be jammy, at times can be Beatlesesque. I'm in love with this album. I like her voice and the studio production, and every song sounds fantastic and memorable. Many of which are addictive earworms. I'm also a huge fan of the smooth transitions. This is one of the those cases where I'm biased because this is exactly my sound and I can't find anything I dislike about it.

Really enjoyed this, each track like a hidden treat. Except for that Iron Man cover. Strange that I JUST had Black Sabbath before this album too!

Very good album from start to finish. Rating: 4.6

Great! Listen again

From a band I’ve never heard of, but now I’m glad that this was recommended to me. Almost no bad songs. What’s with all the Black Sabbath references though?

5 stars because of Lovefool. Other songs are good too.

🤩

Fun catchy songs that stick with you. The mixing is weak, and some songwriting is meh, but as a whole it stands out as an album worthy of a 5.

Surprisingly fun!

Love love love 😍😍

This album was charming. Enjoyable all the way through, anchored by Lovefool. I had a colleague come in and mention that he bought a bootleg of this CD in the 90s in Kosovo, and still had it in his attic. Hoarding tendencies aside, its worth a yearly listen

Got this on a Sunday which is very appropriate, the C90 I had with this on one side and Life on the other was permanently on while I played Sensible Soccer in the late 90s, or as a hangover cure. I think I may prefer Life slightly, but let's go anyway. Not listened for many years now but it doesn't seem to have dated, probably because of the many retro influences to start with. Maybe it's the flute solos. Gloriously weird in places, the mixture of this sweet, slightly twee sounding Swedish band and Black Sabbath is some sort of alchemy. Other metal moves are elsewhere, the kerchunk that punctuates the otherwise sad-indie banger Step On Me. So much so, that the worldwide smash and ludicrously overplayed Lovefool actually feels out of place when I listen to this album and it always has. Hard for me to remember the time listening to this before Romeo and Juliet. Oh god, Losers just came on. I fucking love this beautiful, wonderful song. Changed my mind, this is clearly the best Cardigans album, and actually one of my favourite albums of the 90s. Going back into circulation. Faves: Losers, Your New Cuckoo, Been it, Never Recover, Step On Me, Heartbreaker, Choke. Fuck me, the whole album except Lovefool, which is still good but passes me by due to overplayment. Sticking the excellent Sabbath Bloody Sabbath cover on to round things off.

Haha this was unexpectedly awesome. Very familiar with Lovefool as a go to party starter/catalyst but it was so good listening to it in the context of the album (also a bit of a depresso tune when you really listen). Super nice song structure, beautiful little guitar licks and the Black Sabbath cover was perfect little treat toward the end to keep things interesting. The transition from tune to tune was masterclass too. Based on the album radio would love to explore this little pocket of the late 90s way more.

пупсяшный рок

Every so often one takes a listen that confuses in a particularly delightful way. The Cardigans don't venture into mysterious territories on this album; Instead, the reference points get all confused. The Swedish-pop sheen comes with lyrics that are tougher than gossamer. You hear Metric and realize that you might like that band even more than you'd like to admit. First Band on the Moon's transitions are absolutely perfect, and the references to heavy music absolutely twee. I don't want to find the faults.

Love this. The Iron Man cover seals the deal for a 5

Super unique and interesting for it's time, some great songwriting, excellent production. Was really surprised by this album so it gets a slightly higher rating

Great Album, lots of fun to listen to. Sounds like a lot of fun to make too!

Great

9/10 there is some really good rock here but I had no idea this album had THAT song and it hit me like a ton of bricks when that chorus came in outside of that song, this is a great album

This has some weird little things going but rips

Þessi plata fór fram hjá mér á sínum tíma, ólíkt Life og Gran Turismo, en ég hef blessunarlega heyrt hana oft í seinni tíð. Á spilunarlistanum drottnar Lovefool yfir restinni, en þetta er heildstæð og mjög flott plata. Eiginlega alveg frábær. Meiri Cardigans, takk.

Perfect 90s pop.

pegao pegao bruh pegao

Probably one of my favorite albums on this whole list that I haven’t already heard before. Solid songs throughout. I really enjoy the vocal performance. The iron man cover was great

Incredible. Actually a favorite album of mine now.

Lovefool is obviously the song everyone has heard, but I was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the album was so enjoyable. The vocals felt like a warm, comforting hug. The arrangements on each track were fairly interesting for a genre that I generally find fairly boring. 5/5

Shoegazy vocals but way less intense guitars. Not a bad song on the whole album. Can't quite think of any band that really sounds like them. Interesting guitar work the whole way through and great pacing from track to track. Excellent album.

old favorite

Desconocía pero buena producción

all of them. never recover, happy meal, step on me

Immediate favorite! This is a magical discovery! "Lovefool" has been one of my favorite songs for a while, and the "Iron Man" cover is ill. Every song IS my favorite song, but I'll listen to "Your New Cuckoo" obsessively. And check out more of their work. Pretty great!

loved it

I absolutely love this! So quirky and fun!

Uno de los mejores discos de pop de los 90.

Esto sí es "my jam" y lo disfruté mucho, creo que llegó tarde a los Cardigans, pero está bien, quizá pueda escucharlos mucho más ahora. "Been It", "Losers" y "Iron Man" son top, junto con el hitazo "Lovefool". 10/10

I'm shocked I never listened to this album outside of Lovefool, but I guess I was too young at the time. Wow, this is a fantastic album and something that is right up my alley. This is exactly the type of music I love.

Guter Altpop, angenehme Stimme, Lovefool ist ein Klassiker.

Sweet somewhat twee. Can see it’s influences all over modern indie music

Discazo

I loved it. Wouldnt change a thing.

the first 5 tracks go crazy. definitely a front-loaded record. Lovefool and Losers and Choke are the hits of the back half and Choke is a lovely ending. can't believe I haven't picked it up before ! favs: Been It, Your New Cuckoo

baroque/art pop record sandwiching an absolute mammoth top 40 hit and a Sabbath cover

Loved it!

Didn't finish this one. Her voice is too much n the lyrics are corny. 4/10 for me

I forgot about this album. It;s really good!

I loved this!

lovely

Great pop rock album. Need some more Cardigans in my life!

Never would have listened if it weren't for this 1001 albums, and I really enjoyed!

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.

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.

Really enjoyed this one. She has a lovely voice and Lovefool is obviously an absolute classic.

Absolute fun, I really enjoyed listening to it. Lovefool might be overplayed, but still a bop.

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!

It WAN very special I love it

Still catchy, still fresh, great vocals, and some fantastic lyrical turns.

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.

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!

Mikey Likey

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

The only song I didn't enjoy on here was the cover of Iron Man. The rest of it was fun to listen to.

Iron Man Been It Step On Me Happy Meal II Never Recover

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.

Цих я знаю) Мають бути прикольні)

Rv

excellent production love

Favorite track(s): Your New Cuckoo, Been It, Never Recover, Step on Me, Lovefool

I am surprised I liked this album as much as I did. I previously only knew Lovefool from the album and since it's been overplayed to death, I was mostly expecting meh-ness.

I've heard Lovefool, but not the rest of this. It's nice, mellow, somewhat weird pop. I like it more than I think I should. They turned a Sabbath song into something that belongs in a seedy off strip Vegas lounge act. Even better, it actually sounds good like that.

It was an upbeat album. I liked it enough.

Loved it

Wunderbare Musik die bewegt und harmonisch ist

Suuuper catchy all the way through. Such a fun and playful album, it really made me want to dance. I thought I didn't know anything from this album (or this band) but of course I instantly recognized "Lovefool" when it came on. There are some songs on here that I didn't really care for (Heartbreaker, Iron Man, Great Divide) but overall a really good album.

7/10 Only really knowing the Cardigans from their big hits, one of which is on this record, I was kind of expecting some decent but unspectacular poppy indie. Their hits are great, but it’s often the case that a band like this has slightly more mundane fare on their albums, so imagine my surprise when presented with an album that takes the general gist of their poppier work and twists it into a slightly uncomfortably edged dream-pop. While there are some incredibly pretty and ethereal moments on the record, with choruses typically taking on that role, they often add slightly discordant, dissonant, or distorted aspects into the verses and other sections that create a slightly disconcerting edge to the tracks that’s an incredibly interesting and fresh take on this kind of music. They’re an incredibly solid band, and rarely resorted to thoughtless repetition of ideas, with plenty of musical development, changes to arrangement and little twists of their sound palette to keep things fresh. Nina Persson’s vocal then adds the dreamy narrative, complete with excellent melodic sensibility. Interestingly, her little edge comes more from her lyrics, so while she maintains the more saccharine edge more consistently through each track, her lyrics add that twist that the rest of the band include via musical choices. It’s a cool blend, and one that adds extra depth to the work. The nature of this dreamy type of music does mean that there are slight lulls here and there, and some of the work didn’t quite enthral to the same level as the best songs, but for the most part, this was a really decent and largely consistent record that’s left me interested to find out more about the band’s catalogue. Your New Cuckoo - A light and airy pop music start to the album. It’s got a relaxed, cool vibe, with a nice groove that rolls along underneath it. It’s enjoyable without being spectacular, but still manages to conjure up a sunny and engaging feel that pulls it along, while being sprinkled with pleasing musical hooks. Been It - What an interesting musical turn this takes. The verses have a very atypical chord progression overlaid with a more poppy vocal melody, but the band come closer to the vocal through the pre-chorus, and then the chorus itself is pop-rock excellence. Super hooky, with an uplifting vibe and a lovely, toe-tapping groove. Nice to heart something with such a confident poppy centre deliver something with such an interesting range in feel. Heartbreaker - So they appear to have a love for Black Sabbath, using the opening of their self-titled song in both the intro and outro to this, in addition to the Iron Man cover later on the record. This has a slightly, discordant, experimental edge to it, but it drifts in and out of moments of indie-rock styling too, so that it has a kind of off-kilter but dreamy feel to it. It’s a cool and interesting vibe that lets them stand out from both pop and indie music of the time quite brilliantly while still keeping a toe in each of those genres. Happy Meal II - This has a bit of an unsettling undercurrent, but as with the last track, it manages to transition in and out of that into some more mainstream sounding musical choices really nicely. It’s quite hard to grab hold of, in a way, but that effect is executed in a fairly coherent and considered way so that the slight edge of discomfort feels purposeful and emotionally important. Never Recover - Now we get a bit of pace and some really great poppy hooks. The opening riffs are excellent and the vocal melody is lovely. I kind of wish we got a touch more kick and snare in the mix, because the drumming adds a frantic edge but misses a tiny bit of punch. The harmonic choices against that lead vocal are really nice and, as with much of the album, they don’t make the obvious choices, which is always rewarding to the listener, especially when they still manage to maintain that poppy sensibility. Step On Me - Melodically, this is quite roaming and dreamlike. The blend of vocal parts is really nice and the different sections manage to blend really well but also provide quite distinct vibes and emotional weight. This track feels a touch more disconnected than the better tracks on the album, I think partly due to those roaming melodies that don’t resolve in a way that’s completely satisfying. But it’s still not bad. Lovefool - The big single. Stylistically, it stands out quite a bit from the other tracks in that it feels a little like it’s had some of the more jagged aspects sanded off and some of the more wispy edges tightened up. There’s still that slightly unsettling edge to the verses, but it’s not allowed to become quite as disconcerting as other tracks, but then the chorus is just pop music perfection. I think the drum production helps this track to have a bit more power and momentum, which is helpful too. Losers - The dreamlike edge is back in full force now and this almost feels like a deliberate volte-face from the previous track. There’s some cool, restrained arrangement and use of drawn out and scattered instrumentation that all comes back together into the choruses. Again, there’s enough pop melody in here to centre this, but it’s also weird enough to make it interesting. Iron Man - And what’s weirder than doing a sort of downtempo dream-pop cover of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man? Covers that carve their own idea for a track can be great and this is a brilliant example. The little licks on the instrumental breakdowns are lovely, as are the brief guitar solo sections. It feels so well performed and produced while retaining just about enough of the original to work as a cover. An excellent track. Great Divide - Another dreamy track that kind of plods along a little in places, but does throw in more of those slightly weird sections and blends of sounds that give it a little bit of edge between the dreamier sections. It’s really pretty with a tiny sprinkle of grit here and there to add range, but it’s ultimately not one of the most interesting tracks on the record. Choke - Ooh, there are some very cool pieces of rhythmic work in here and it’s a super laid-back, uptempo little number. It’s got cool hooks, some really funky playing and it feels like they’re making sure every band member has some fun bits of playing to enjoy. The main hook with the flute is really cool. It’s a lovely way to close out the record.

Muito agradável, não é minha a vibe mas é bom

Really like the sad melody

What a fun album! I LOVED the cover of Iron Man.

Really liked these poppy lil diddys

Really nice, loved the first handful of songs, and lovefool literally had me skipping down a mountain Not sure I understand the black sabbath cover though 4

What a weird little record. The only song I knew by The Cardigans was Lovefool. Which I always thought was a fun little pop song. But this album is not that song, and I imagine a lot of people bought this for that song and were like, "What the hell is this?". I really enjoyed this to the point where once it ended, I immediately started over. I mean it's a little psychedelic, a little indie pop, and a little 1960s French go-go music. I really liked it. To the point where now I have to find a place to buy it from on vinyl.

Lovefool is a tune

I really, really enjoyed this album! You know it's funny, I had a copy of this on CD when it was first released because of "Lovefool," but other than a few plays in its entirety, it was not a CD that I returned to years ago, and I subsequently forgot about it. Listening yesterday showed me how my musical taste have changed 22 year-old me may have only listened to it a few times and thought 'yeah this is pretty good,' but 30 years later, I'm really digging it and listened to it twice in a row. I appreciate it for its variety, good writing, good musicianship, and just catchiness of many songs. I am glad to have rediscovered it!

iugh el cover de Iron Man. fuera de ahí, 9/10 Grandes rolas, otras olvidables.

Un albúm que sin duda Kat Straford escucharia

Lovefool is a 5 star track, and while the rest of the album doesn't hit those heights, it was better than I expected.

Got through most of it. Lovefool.

So far it’s pretty light. It’s cool but relatively simple I actually ended up really enjoying this one. It was pretty easy to listen to but had enough edge that it wasn’t boring. Very good for like background music (I was making a candle holder while I listened. It has a little cat on it)

Starts a little weak, but gains traction im the later half

Que álbum legal e bem feito. Músicas muito bem feitas, vocais belíssimos e instrumentais ricos. QoA Adonis New.

7/10 Lovefool obviously a banger, but the rest of album is also pretty good

2000s romcom main character music

I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't an Iron Man cover. Obviously it's nothing on the original but I didn't hate this as an album

Not a bad listen; The only one that I have to skip is Iron Man. Other than that, it feels very much like the 90's alternative/pop I grew up with. I gave this one multiple listens easily, again, Iron Man aside. Biggest Hit - Lovefool Biggest Miss - Iron Man Hidden Gem - Step On Me

extra point for nostalgia. Lovefool is obviously the highlight

So darn clean. They are excellent musicians and I appreciate that style of pop music that is nearly scientific in the way it gets in your ear. I am more familiar with their album Life, but I really enjoyed this. They have such a rich, symphonic sound that is really attractive. Lovefool is truly one of the best songs of last century.

Fun album

This is a hidden gem to me, maybe not so hidden to others! Very fun and full of color on first listen. With he first song, I think they've made the most of typical rock/pop instrumentation with a stylish arrangement and a spunky vocal on top. The prechorus on "Been It" is so seamless, the way she escalates the intensity in her singing voice and the instruments get played louder - it's the functional definition of a good prechorus. Three songs transitioning seamlessly at the beginning of the album is especially impressive. It's a statement that the group demands to be taken as more than a pop act looking for radio success. You know who this group reminds me of? Cibo Matto. Super sweet vocal tones, songs that muse on day-to-day life and relationships. Instrumentals that walk this line of being somehow acceptable in a grocery store but also wildly detailed, revealing themselves to be very thoughtfully crafted. Strangely, I didn't feel an ounce of boredom until "Step On Me", which is apparently one of their most popular songs. I almost always agree with the masses and spotify playcounts reflecting the better songs on any given album. A CRAZY cool cover of "Iron Man" that totally recontextualizes the song and really elevates the back half of this record. Perfect timing, a nice little lounge/trip-hop take. Dreamy, airy, earnest-but-self-aware. A lovely record that works best as a complete front-to-back listen. 4/5 I even listened in my cardigan

Listening to this album, which I own on cassette, through headphones highlights its sophisticated arrangements and rich instrumentation — and especially the understated treatment of the drums. It’s a great collection of melancholic, quirky pop songs about heartache and bad lovers.“I’ve been your sister / I’ve been your mistress / Baby I was your whore” is a standout lyric in an album full of good lines. It feels like a distinctively 90s echo of Sgt. Pepper’s filtered through a Swedish disposition.

Had a great time with this since I had only heard Lovefool before. They have a distinct sound but a decent variety between tracks between rock, soft piano and horn sections. Her voice is nice even though it sounds like a diary self narration at some points. More good tracks than not and will add a few to my library. Losers is a standout track for sure.

Surprising amount of Black Sabbath references?? Great bright clean mix.

An auditory delight.

This is unexpectedly terrific. I love the singer's voice, and the slightly fuzzy, laid back vibe of it all. Very, very pleasantly surprised at this one, but it's excellent.

I'd totally listen to this again.

Very, very enjoyable! I liked the contrast between the softer vocals and the more intense instrumentation. God awful cover of paranoid though haha

Great memories and some songs that define some of the late 90s pop aestethics. And a Black Sabbath cover! To me this is THE Cardigans album.

I thought I had never heard The Cardigans before but then I got to Lovefool and went ”Ohhhhhhhhhh it’s THAT song”

INPUT = {"artist": "The Cardigans", "album": "First Band On The Moon"} LINEUP = {"men": 4, "women": 1} FEATURED_ARTISTS = {"men": 0, "women": 0} TOTAL_MEN = 4 TOTAL_WOMEN = 1 WOMEN_PERCENTAGE = 20 OUTPUT = "Score adjusted accordingly. 4/5"

The first track ‘your new cuckoo’ felt dreamy and well produced creating a positive start to the album, I then felt like the band went on an exploration expedition- almost like they were trying to mix the grunge era with pop and It flowed and worked really well even when at times the album seemed a bit too depressing! Arguably a couple of weaker tracks in the middle of the album on first listen, however on second listen they didn’t actually feel weak. ‘Ironman’ I felt went off track and didn’t feel Like it fitted on the album and the last track also lost gumption. Dreamy, depressing grudgey pop.. but I enjoyed it! 8.5/10 Best track- ‘losers’ although could easily have been 3 or 4 others. Worst track- ‘iron man’

It’s so unique, in general, but also for the time period when it was released. 1996 was still very much post grunge, alternative, a lot of doom and gloom… and The Cardigans dared to be different. Not to mention that “Lovefool” is a fucking BANGER and one of my favorite songs of all time. They do have a slightly weird obsession Black Sabbath, who would’ve thought, even going so far as to do a way bizarre cover of “Iron Man”. They also tease the riff of the song “Black Sabbath” in one of their tunes. Weird, but for me it doesn’t detract from the overall greatness of this album.

I really like the vibes of this album, I think the cover of Iron Man sounds great on it Fav songs - Lovefool, Iron Man 4/5

A fun album. Definitely sounds like music you would while on the end of a breakdown. Weird sounding pop music made by metalheads. I liked it.

This album was staged

Noice! Just short

Wow I loved this so much!

Listened to it before, pretty decent album I would say

okay I only knew love fool but I dig this so heavy. such a perfect encapsulation of 90’s soft rock

RATING: 8.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Heartbreaker LOWLIGHT: Great Divide

Lovely to hear this today. Enjoyable music and Nina has a great voice.

sweet

PEAKNESS i love❤️❤️❤️

good listen

Been It Heartbreaker Happy Meal II Never Recover Lovefool Losers

Been It Happy Meal II Step on Me Lovefool Losers Iron Man

I was expecting millennial slop, but this is timeless

Quite catchy

4/5

Weirdly good

Started of strong but stalled towards the end. The band plays tight and all around this was a fun listen.

Lots of different influences going on which could be messy but they keep it together. Very catchy and lively.

Never recover is a banger. I think Megan has heard this one already. Very good

the Justin Bieber interpolation song album! You know... he had that one song... you knowww... Anyway this album is cool. Starting with "Your New Cuckoo," a song with great vocals, great production, and a really awesome riff, and then moving to "Been It," which I like a lot (the chorus is wonderful). "Heartbreaker" and "Happy Meal II" are both cute, but "Never Recover" is fucking insane. Sounds like an Alvvays song, but it happens to also be really well-written (which Alvvays songs are, but like the writing stands out here). "Step On Me" is really good too, and then "Lovefool" is obviously a huge fucking home run. From there we have "Losers" which is a pretty alright song. "Iron Man" as a song is pretty tight too, and I'm told it's a cover of Black Sabbath's seminal metal song of the same name. It's pretty cool. My only real problem with any of this is that the lulls are sooooooooo apparent, and they kind of become drawbacks for me. It's all pretty good, but the experience it adds up to can tend to be taken away from by the inconsistency of the song quality sometimes. It's still pretty awesome though. 7.9/10

Didn't have a chill ass indie pop Black Sabbath cover on my bingo card, but somehow I'm sort of here for whatever fever dream that was.

For me, The Cardigans encapsulate warm, sunny days driving in the car where me and my mum have finally decided on music that we both like. They feel nostalgic despite not having a long-term impact on my life, maybe because I always listen to them when I'm happy and this just paints them in a positive light. For sure, a lot of their songs are reasonably forgettable, but the ones I like, I realllly like so that kind of makes up for it. I will say I've never heard their Black Sabbath covers before... that was definitely something new....

Pleasant & easy listen! Reminds me a bit of Mars Argo's music. I like the singer's voice. My favorite song of the album is Step On Me.

I always thought of the Cardigans as a 1 hit wonder. "Love Fool" obviously. But I dug this album and surprisingly enjoyed their very mellow rendition of "Iron Man."

Very good. Love lovefool

Pretty nice one, like the black sabbath stuff Will I listen to again: 50%

only reason this was picked for this list and not the superior Emmerdale and Life is obviously the central track Lovefool, which is admittedly one of their best songs - and one of the biggest pop hits of the modern era. That's not to say other parts of first band on the moon don't come close to the magic of that track. Actually most of it does. The flute-laden opener sets the tone perfectly, and the stretch around Lovefool are all imo all on par with that song (especially their cheeky Ironman cover and the sugar-grungey Losers). It's a great album, hell it's the Cardigans. I will glaze them till the end of time. But let's not joke around and pretend this is their best album by any stretch of the imagination.

Nice songs, relaxing and a classic like lovefool

I started this album and was immediately dreading listening to the rest of it. I couldn’t stand her forced innocent, breathy vocals. Then it got a little better, then a little better, then I was actually really enjoying this album by track 6 - Step on Me. Then Lovefool came on and I thought oh god they did this song. The rest of the tracks were somewhere in the middle of this rollercoaster of emotions. I think I’ve settled on it being pretty good overall. I can definitely see the influence they had on the early 2000s. I was immediately drawing comparisons to Camera Obscura. Best tracks: Step on Me Losers Great Divide 7/10 I was going to give this an album 3 stars but I’m listening to my favorite tracks back and I think I actually love them. Guess they just had to grow on me.

I didn't know they were Swedish. This is good stuff. Lovefool is the odd track out, though. The rest sound like songs they play between articles on NPR. Cool enough to be relevant, but inoffensive enough to ignore if it's not your jam.

A good album with good songs

I'm probably being overly generous but I kinda liked this a lot

For some reason I thought it said this was released in 1976 which massively confused me. Then I was caught off guard by the opening of Black Sabbath, and then later the full cover of Iron Man. I enjoyed this

4.5

Best Nina. Very cuddly and delicious even if Lovefool is the main actual diamond track with the Iron Man cover being a distant honourable mention. Definitely more a singles act. I would actually put the Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery soundtrack over this. Carnival is even more of a delicious sexy firecracker than Lovefool.

Favorite Track: Lovefool

A very pleasant surprise. Turns out Lovefool is almost the perfect pop song. The band plays some actual music on here. The cover of Iron Man is excellent and Nina's vocals are fucking brilliant all the way through. I toyed with giving this a big fat 5, but I'm gonna be sensible.

This is one of those albums where the major hit is so good that it balloons your expectations for what the other songs should be. The other songs are fine, but they’re nothing in comparison to “Lovefool.” Still a pleasant listening experience though.

1 - Your New Cuckoo (a near-silent intro gives way to a blissful psychedelic pop opening. It's an amazingly smooth and laid-back opener that immediately immerses the listener into this album's world) 4.5/5 2 - Been It (the opener smoothly transitions into this one and continues the same sort of vibe. This one kind of reminds me of an XTC song. The pop sensibilities are incredibly strong on this one even through all the psychedelia. So far this has been a surprisingly strong album from a band I though was a 1-hit wonder...!) 4/5 3 - Heartbreaker (much sparser and more acoustically focused than the previous songs. It honestly feels out of time with the rest of this relatively modern album. An absolutely magical, woodland-creature sort of song that veers into unsettling territory here and there with its theremin and chord changes. Another very strong piece) 4/5 4 - Happy Meal II (this shorter piece feels like an epilogue of the previous track. This whole song feels so loose while also being suspended in the air, a puppet on a string for a visual) 3.5/5 5 - Never Recover (this is the rockiest the album has sounded so far with a surf-inspired riff waking the listener up from the dreamlike state of the first third of this album. The hook on this song is cotton-candy sweet, which is only supported by the deviation into circus music towards the end) 3.5/5 6 - Step on Me (the most conventional-sounding song so far, with a quintessential psychedelic indie pop sound. Persson's voice is what makes this song - and album generally - work so well. Despite how distant she sounds and how much she blends into the mix, Persson has just enough colours and facets in her voice to make her every performance unique) 4/5 7 - Lovefool (the big hit single and the song that made me assign them to the "1-hit wonder" box. The instantly recognizable chorus is the crown jewel of this album and it's easy to see why this song became such a hit and now has so much staying power. Not too much else to say that hasn't already been said about this perfect slice of pop) 4.5/5 8 - Losers (a slow, chiming song to bring the listener down to Earth after the previous 2 hit songs. The chimes give way to some big alt rock riffs as a display of the classic quiet-loud-quiet dynamic that defined 90s alternative music. The psychedelic bent is just poking through on this song) 4/5 9 - Iron Man (a lo-fi indie pop cover of an iconic Sabbath tune (!) The languid, loungey instrumental make me think this is a piece of long-lost trip hop. The unique aesthetic of the whole thing actually works once you get over the shock of realizing it's Sabbath and really shows off how deceptively complex the song is by playing it on quiet undistorted instruments) 4.5/5 10 - Great Divide (a sweet little ballad that offers a swirling electric piano as its main accompaniment. It sounds rather lovelorn and bittersweet and is a welcome track even so late into this album) 4/5 11 - Choke (much more bombastic and theatrical than its predecessor, this song provides an upbeat final note to an otherwise very low-key album. It's a unique example of a song that sounds like the genre surrounding it but sticks out for being just that little left-field) 3.5/5 OVERALL - 8/10

A favourite band at the time, this was probably my lowest ranked of their albums from Life through to Long Gone Before Daylight, but it's still a wonderful album. Nina became a true favourite by the time she did the A Camp albums where her voice became a thing of true wonder. Caught them live during Gran Turismo era as well (at the dreadful Royal Albert Hall) and they were surprisingly muscular, the guitarist showing himself to be an extraordinary musician. I heard somebody complaining of the baby vocals but if you listen properly she can and does belt it out at times, even if her best vocals are still to come.

it was fun 90s pop with a more punk feel

Verkligen ett originellt ljud. Intressanta melodier och arrangerat utan att det blir svårlyssnat. Något för downbeat för min smak, men fungerar ändå att lyssna på i många sammanhang

Full of classics so far

Lo escuché mientras armaba el album. Love me love sayyy that u loooveeee meeeee😝🤞🏽

Had a few highlights, namely “Been It”, “Choke”, and “Lovefool”, and was a decently good record overall!

It's a very fun album. Playful with a good energy and hooks for days. There is plenty of catchy songs, even the slow ballads are admirable even if not perfect. I like the noisier songs in particular, they have amazing guitar textures that compliment the soft vocals surprisingly well.

I so love this!

Been a dodgy couple of weeks but FINALLY... good songs, great delivery 🙂

First Band On The Moon

The Cardigans

Reviews (page 2 of 9)