First Band On The Moon

Cortito. Me gustaron unas 3 rolas

First Band On The Moon is an album i listened to and reviewed back in 2023 a bit before starting this project and i wasn't really that much of a fan. Though, like Illmatic, i think my opinion has improved slightly because i thought this album was fine. I think that there was some solid musicianship here especially with the bass. I did think that the lyrics in some of the songs were not the greatest though. There was a lot of Black Sabbath influences in these songs oddly enough including an Iron Man cover. I wasn't really a big fan of it as i felt it sounded too chill which doesn't fit considering what the lyrics are actually about. I still thought this album was a perfectly fine listen, just nothing too special. Best Song: Great Divide Worst Song: Iron Man

I've always had a like/hate relationship with The Cardigans. Like, because Ive never loved any of their music, hate because I have hated a number of their songs. That sone they did with Tom Jones is genuinely one of the worst songs of all time. Yet, Nina shows up on Your Love Alone Is Not Enough, which is one of the best songs of all time. Unsurprising then that this album is a bit all over the place. The first two songs are good, then it falls off a cliff for the next two. Lovefool was never more than okay, but it's the big hit here. The vocals are sometimes twee and offputting, other times more tolerable and sultry. Some songs have a laid back 60s vibe. They cover Black Sabbath. So, it's a but of a mess. Whether or not the band deserve to be on this list is subjective - I'd argue that someone like Natalie Imbruglia had at least two albums more deserving of a space or two here. But if they must be, this is probably the right album in their discography.

Chill and funky, but no where close to the cardigans best. A little one note in places.

This is a catchy and polite pop album that is nice to hear in the background, but most of the songs are not nearly as good as the big hit.

If an album could wink, this album would be winking... aggressively.

Listenable and enjoyable.

1. british kate cobain flannel shirt garage vibes 2. each song started off good and ended with a random instrumental 3. there were no pauses at the end of songs, couldn't tell when one song was beginning or ending. Listened to: On cardrive to Delhi, half asleep.

It's fine, I guess.

The Cardigans sound like what would happen if you took Stereolab, took out the leftist politicals and pushed them through a 90s radio filter. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I did however expect a little more from this album. There's one very catchy, well known single, but the rest struggles to match it. There are moments of potential but I had the strong feeling that this album wasn't quite ready for release. Still enjoyable, but "Lovefool" really stands out a bit too much, making the rest feel a bit lopsided. It's a great song though.

katamari damacy vibes

25/03/2026 I'm a little disappointed. I felt I expected more from this album. Shame. Spotify listeners: 14.3 million

Schöne Stimme

I didn't recognise anything on this album until Lovefool, which is a great song. Sadly it's by far the best song on the album, with the rest being a bit of a dud for me

Album 76 Top 3 favorites off the album: Choke, Iron Man, Happy Meal II MRS. PUFF!!! I'M CHEATING!!! Shout-out to one of my best friends for loving them and making me listen to them, and to a professor who played some of their stuff in a Swedish class focused on music. The album flows well. I like that each track flowed cleanly into the next one and that they managed to shift vibes seamlessly. It all Sounds Like The Cardigans without getting boring for me. When they said "get a girl who can do both/it all," I'm not sure they meant mother, father, sister, mistress, AND whore all in one. At least, I'd like to think they didn't. I don't think I've mentioned my song classification system. Bop, Banger, Jam was the original, but it has since expanded to be Bop, Banger, Jam, Groove, Vibe. I feel like there are more, but these are the ones I can remember right now. You can have main and subcategories. I treat it like a recipe. I will now describe this album for you using this system. Your New Cuckoo - Bop-jam fairly evenly divided between the two Been It - Groove-jam with slightly more groove than jam Heartbreaker - Vibe with just a sprinkle of groove, really just a piiiiiinch Happy Meal II - Vibe-jam with a pinch of banger. Also, what happened to Happy Meal I? Did I miss this on another album? I'll do my research. Never Recover - Banger-jam with a healthy undercurrent of groove Step On Me - Vibe infused with a groove-jam hybrid leaning more groove than jam Lovefool - Pure bop Losers - Vibe-banger (an uncommon combination in my system) Iron Man - Vibe-groove with an aftertaste of jam Great Divide - Vibe seasoned with light jam-groove Choke - Jam with elements of banger and vibe Anyway, I enjoyed it as usual. Yay!

I feel like the lead singer's voice carries things a lot - not to say the songs are bad, but it gives them a pleasant texture. This was a nice listen, but not exactly something I'd actively listen to. A 3.5 would be good to me, but I don't agree with a 4.

Ah this is fine.

Pau mole

It's a fun album this. I think the standout is just the general production and composition of it. It's a kind of happy, floaty vibe for most of it, and quite dreamlike in places. There's some unusual instrumentation in here, but it works well. 3.5 rounded down.

Nou, 1 FAVO kunnen we alweer invullen. Welkom bij "Is het een goed album of is dat ene nummer zó goed dat de rest van het album niet meer dan prima hoeft te zijn? " Eeeeeh, ik weet het niet zo goed. Het is niet een heel spannend album. Krijg er heel erg simpele pop-rock vibes van. De zang is wel sterk, en instrumentaal klinkt het gewoon prima maar het is niet zo dat ik The Cardigans er uit 1000en uit zou kunnen halen. Althans dat idee heb ik niet. Opzich wel leuk om wat pop-rock in deze lijst te hebben, dat staat er verder niet heel veel in. Wel echt als je de rest van het album luistert word wel pijnlijk duidelijk dat Lovefool verreweg hun beste nummer is. De muziek klinkt cleaner, de zang is minder babyvoicig en het refrein, och het refrein. Lovefool klinkt ook veel meer als een danceplaat in tegenstelling tot de rest die veel meer een rockinsteek heeft. Is dit een onehit wonder? Misschien niet helemaal, maar het is me wel duidelijk dat dit een album is dat grotendeels op deze lijst staat omdat Lovefool zo'n bizar goed nummer is. Iron Man, de Sabbath cover is dus echt nice, het is een soort jazzy laidback cover geworden. Kan ik wel van genieten. Tsja, is dit een album dat je moet hebben geluisterd voor je dood? Mwah niet perse, maar elke kans om Lovefool te luisteren moet je naar mijn mening gewoon aanpakken, heerlijk nummer. FAVO: Lovefool, Iron Man

This was a fun listen. Lovefool is a classic for a reason, but the rest of the album kept up the atmosphere with Peter Svensson's guitar playing being a consistent highlight. The cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man caught me off guard but they took it in their own direction which is testament to a cover done well.

3/5

Another three, not good and not bad. I find her voice to be a touch annoying, I find the music to be a touch too hippie-indie, and yet I recognize it's good work overall. But as explained at earlier times I downloaded no songs and how could an album ever be given anything more than a three if not a single download came of it. A two seems too (lol) low though because I could listen again, I wouldn't be put off by it. A three is a good, solid number.

3.5!

Bangers

Cruising the 1001 reviews while listening, seems like a lot of "Best band in the world, Nina is so calming - 5!" vs "Fuck I hate that baby voice, can't stand these guys - 1!" the band is sweet though, but I checked a later album where sure enough she dropped the baby voice but really, the music wasn't nearly as interesting. A conundrum.

Another album with one major hit. Cool cover of "Iron Man" though, I wasn't expecting it at all. Pretty average listen for me.

Really nice tracks. I thought iron man was a bit weak though

Cardigans tidiga album är utan tvekan roligare att lyssna på, än hur det lät på slutet. Månlandarskivan får väl räknas in till de som ännu är någorlunda oförstörda. Även om det finns en del tråkpop här. Inte minst i storhiten Lovefool. Utan den hade knappast albumet varit med i boken, men å andra sidan hade det varit betydligt bättre. För det är ju Cardigans i gränslandet mellan pop, jazz och soul man vill åt. Där släktbandet med Studiogrannarna i Eggstone är som tydligast. Allra bäst i Heartbreaker. Summa summarum. Cardigans var trots allt ett bra popband en gång i tiden. Trean huserar i de högre regionerna.

Fjäderlätt luftig produktion men tack vare Nina Perssons sång finns här ändå attityd. Singlarna Been It och Love fool sticker ut ut mängden. Kanske inte att materialet i övrigt räcker hela vägen ut. Till exempel låter Losers som något Rebecka Thörnqvist spelat in, dvs alldaglig fm-rock. Udda version av Black Sabbats Iron Man, det är egentligen bara den mediokra texten som de har valt att behålla. Däremot lånas riffet från Iron Man till Choke. Landar i en svag trea.

Their cover of iron man almost got me to a 4

Dancing in the disco, with my mate Ivan, wait a minute, where's my cardigan?

What a strange choice. I see no reason why this is an album you should listen to before you die. I mean it’s not bad, but it’s not groundbreaking or interesting in any way either. I prefer their second album TBH.

294/1001. Yet another 90s familiar band here. But the Cardigans are so cute! And they did 2-3 near pefect pop songs, out of which at least Lovefool is on this record. Still, I have no need to go back, just remember them with a warmish smile.

Your New Cuckoo - 3.5/5 Been It - 3.5/5 Heartbreaker - 3/5 Happy Meal II - 3/5 Never Recover - 4/5 Step on Me - 3.5/5 Lovefool - 4.5/5 Losers - 3.5/5 Iron Man - 4/5 Great Divide - 3/5 Choke - 3.5/5 I'm probably too young since I think of these guys as just one-hit wonders with Lovefool. I was definitely surprised when the rest of the album was sort of the same vibe as Lovefool, including a really interesting cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man (in a good way!). Overall: 3.5/5 Favorites: Never Recover, Lovefool, Iron Man

a bit airy for me

Very 00s romcom vibes

Not bad, and not what I expected, but still consider them to be a one hit wonder.

Leuk, maar ook niet wow

soy una nenita maricona

I was almost gonna give that a 4 for the strong intro and few other bangers, but a few too many average tracks keep it balanced, and the outro felt a little strange and out of place. Still, points for surprising me Cardigans, wasn’t aware of your game properly til now.

Up until today I would have guessed that The Cardigans were Baggins-looking chaps who played fiddles and sang sea-shanties. Now that I have been disabused of that preposterous notion I will disabuse myself of this monotonous music. A de-ska-ified No Doubt knock-off?

Непоганий поп-рок альбом. Ніна Перссон це клас, також тут є всім відомий хіт лавфул. Але важко мені полюбити ці пісні та розглядати їх як щось більше ніж просто фонове прослуховування.

Sugary pop. Only one memorable song.

To be listened to

It's actually a decently good album. The vocals do get very old at some point. I have a hard time giving this one 4 stars, but it's not bad by any means. Very regular 90s popish rock type deal.

Nice soft rock album Standouts: Your New Cuckoo, Heartbreaker, Happy Meal II, Step On Me, Lovefool

Only knew the one song, so new to me music.

I'm really not sure how to evaluate this. It's like they're doing the splits: one leg on catchy pop lyrics and melodies, the other on alt-rock styles. It must hurt stretching your "musical" muscles like that for so long. For me personally, stick to either side or find a way where you can stand instead of splitting (3.5).

Pleasantly enjoyable :)

Solid enough debut but that Iron Man cover is a horrendous piece of music.

First band on the fool.

It's okay, nothing stood out for me.

This was fine, not really my thing. I do appreciate the cover of Iron Man. If you are going to take on a classic like that, you had better make it your own, and they certainly did.

Love the sound of this album, it’s very on par with current listening tastes. The vibe is nice, but not good enough to rate it more.

The first tune made me think this was going to be pop pablum. But, there’s some interesting music here. Interesting rhythms and melodic ideas abound. The only thing I heard from this band was Loverfool which did not pique my interest. Wish I would have explored the band more. There’s more here than first meets the ear.

It's not horribly unpleasant, but the music is either spooky or weirdly happy sounding and I find the singer's voice sickeningly sweet

Nice pop rock album, nothing mind blowing but enjoyable nonetheless 3.5*

I didn't expect the Black Sabbath references, although I'm not sure the Iron Man cover was an interesting take. I enjoyed the first half of the album and hadn't heard Step On Me before despite its millions of plays on Spotify.

Really liked listening to this, but it all fell just a bit short of sticking.

Sounds nice for the most part. Like but not love her voice, like but not love the instrumentals. Like the lyrics. Middle of the road for me so a 3.

Solo conocía su éxito. Son agradables de escuchar; la voz demasiado aniñada.

mid 2.5

Iron man was a surprisingly good cover

Lovefool was everywhere for a time, wasn't it? And yet - not really very good. I do like The Cardigans, and of course Nina is a friend of the Manics, and therefore a friend of mine. This is a tiny bit bland though to be honest. It's all quite similar and there's minimal emotional range. Overall, it's nice to listen to and perfectly acceptable to have in the background, but it's hard to say much more than that.

They almost veer into a psych-lounge exotica thing, but they hold back — like they walked so Stereolab could run

A twee album very much rooted in the 1990s. Conjures up sparkly teen girls in baggy pants and crop top tanks. Hey, that's today's aesthetic too! I remember Love Fool from Romeo + Juliet, a song I adored at the time, but the rest of the album doesn't hit.

It's okay. Fits into the "has one hit, but that shouldn't mean the whole album is a necessary listen" category. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again.

this album caught me during a pop rock kick. i was ready for a quick 4/5 after the first song. unfortunately there are duds on this album and they hit like a truck. the iron man cover rules though fuck the haters

Synes det var ret fed, gik ind med temmeligt lave forventninger! Det er en slags 90er-jangle som fungerer ret godt for mig.

I was a little bit surprised to see this album on the list, as I've always considered this band to be somewhat of a one-hit wonder. "Love Fool" was such a charming tune, bolstered by an equally charming video and Nina Persson's stunning beauty. I actually saw The Cardigans sometime in '96 (maybe '97) in what seemed to be kind of a random gym on NCSU's campus. My freshman-year roommate knocked up his girlfriend at the end of our second term and dropped out of school. He and I always had a great time together, so we continued to go to shows for a year or so after that, until the pressures of fatherhood (which neither of us was at all prepared for) caused him to fall off the map. Seriously, I have looked for him online for years and can't find a single lead. I hope he's somewhere happy and healthy with a fully grown adult daughter. But I digress. The headliner for the show was Beck on the Odelay tour. Shit. Another side note: It is impossible to overstate the energy that Beck exuded at that show. I'm still not sure that I've seen an entertainer work harder to excite an audience. He was a force of nature. I am so grateful that I got to see him during that era of his career. Ok, back to the Cardigans. My former roommate and I arrived at the venue just in time to see Atari Teenage Riot end their set and watch Cardigan's entire set. Their show was solid and entertaining, but pretty forgettable. There weren't that many people there yet, so we were right underneath Nina the entire time. And she was entirely as beautiful and charming (more so!) as she was on TV, an absolute vision. She's only a few years older than I am, so she couldn't have been more than 23 or 24 at the time. But even considering her physical attractiveness, I only remember that she carried around a large photo of a man (maybe their producer or manager?) and sang "Love Fool" to it as she walked back and forth across the stage, not like a model or a waif or a stalking sex panther but just moving in peak femininity. And that's kind of how I view this album. It's very charming. The band is tight. The songs are well-constructed. The lyrics seem sincere, though I don't find them particularly insightful or skillful. I had even forgotten how lovely Nina's voice is. I remembered it being more cutesy and less sweet than it actually is. I found my listens to this album pleasant, but not very rewarding, and I don't see myself putting it into regular rotation. Three stars.

Overall this wasn’t a bad album, I just wish there was at least one song half as good as Lovefool.

This was a good album of good sugary pop music. The hit single Lovefool fits in very nice with some of the other songs like Your New Cuckoo and Been It. Overall pleasant and upbeat to listen too.

A rollercoaster ride of sugary pop laden with metal undertones. 3.5 stars

Love fool is amazing and the cover of iron man is great. Rest is slightly above average

Great

I was only familiar with the big hit, and it’s definitely a standout on this album, but the album as a whole was consistently good. Vocals are superb throughout, and the Beatle-ish influences at times is a nice surprise.

Good Brit pop/rock

Fun album. Surprise Sabbath cover Standout songs: Been it Lovefool

Good, but not my favorite Cardingans record.

Good music

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-cardigans/first-band-on-the-moon/ Fine, I guess? Don't really understand why this would be in the 1001 best albums ever made. Lovefool is perhaps one of the best pop songs ever, but the rest of the album is just okay.

I thought "I've heard of the Cardigans before but I don't know where from." So I put the album on and let it play out. While it went and I thought it was pretty solid, suddenly we got Lovefool and I realised oh yeah. I know The Cardigans. I think I appreciate this album more than I actively like it. Lovefool did flip my opinion of this album a little but I appreciate that this album is actually pretty weird and sprawling, presenting a lot of different sounds and directions. The vocals on this whole album are pretty solid. I think if you go into this album with a pre-emptive opinion based on Lovefool you might dislike bits like the vocals more than if you had a clean slate. I was convinced my ears were wrong and that was NOT how she sings on that song. Best songs: Lovefool Worst songs: N/A Rank compared to everything else so far: 39/49 (below Coat of Many Colors, above S.F Sorrows)

Surprisingly solid! The cover of Iron Man was quite funny rendered in this style, and all of their originals were very pleasant to the ear. Right in the 7/10 range for me.

One of the most bewildering listens of the album challenge so far. Knowing only Lovefool going in, I was surprised by all the different directions and twists and turns this album took. I still have no idea if I like that Iron Man cover or not. Less one hit wonders on the album list plz

Some mildly intriguing stuff going on here. Felt like a huge letdown on the first listen but I did warm up to it the second time. However, I think their "thing" is a little thin for a whole album. Also nothing on here sounds like Lovefool.

The Cardigans are a cool band. this is a decently cool album too. everyone knows Lovefool, but they have other bangers too that kinda remind me of Shibuya-kei. deserves to be one of the 1001? this list desperately needs fun indie music. yes. maybe swap in Life instead, but i want Cardigans representation

Good album. Seems a little dated at this point.

sometimes you have to just let a girl sing in your ears and vibe out

Dans l'ensemble, album agréable. Iron Man est mon morceau préféré, très agréable. 3/5

Decent record. A few songs on the album that I like but overall not a favorite. I do like other songs from other albums of theirs.

Probably a little better than expected. Nothing earthshaking or lifechanging though. It's a fine pop-rock album, but not a Must Listen, by any stretch. Her voice is high and sweet, but it starts to wear thin after just a few songs. Fine in small doses. "Lovefool" is a clear standout. Same band, writers, and producer, but it's a level above the rest. Obvs, "Iron Man" is divisive here. I'm joining team WTF here. This is a crazy choice that is just plain goofy. My theory is this is the reason the album is here... just so more people can be exposed to this crazy take. I give them credit for making it their own and honestly if the lyrics were different this could be a decent tune. They could drop "Happy Meal II" and "Never Recover" to make it tighter. No value in these that I heard. Calling this a 3 because there's nothing terribly annoying, but 90% of it sounds about the same with a 1 of the points coming from the hit.

Not a bad album, good songs bubbles along poppy slightly dated production.

Damn so they have more songs than lovefool????

“Lovefool” earns its reputation. It’s catchy, impeccably constructed, and hard to shake. But beyond that initial hook, the album didn’t pull me in as much as I expected. The musicianship is consistently solid and thoughtfully arranged, and Nina Persson’s voice is distinctive and expressive, though over a full album it starts to feel a bit relentless rather than inviting. There’s craft here, no question. The band is tight, the production is clean, and the contrast between sweet surfaces and darker undercurrents is clearly intentional. Still, that contrast doesn’t deepen enough for me to sustain interest across the whole record. I found myself appreciating the execution more than actually connecting with the songs. The cover of “Iron Man” is the wild card. Unexpected, clever, and genuinely fun, it momentarily jolts the album awake and shows a playful side that I wish surfaced more often elsewhere. I wanted to like this more than I did. It’s a good record, well made and occasionally surprising, but it doesn’t quite stick. A respectable three stars: enjoyable in parts, admirable in execution, but not something I feel drawn to revisit often.

Different

Hadn't listened to anything other than Lovefool. Black Sabbath interpolations AND covers? Interesting.

Ok, went into this one not expecting a lot based on my experience with the radio hit Lovefool, but I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised. Also, the Iron Man rendition was a cool change to the popular metal song. Solid 3/5

This was ok, but only ok. It’s a bit poppy for my liking. Gran Turismo was better, but only marginally, as an album.

Issa vibe

I'm going to get the Elephant out of the room. Lovefool is definitely the highlight of this album, a timeless hit that is quite clever in its execution. The album starts quite well, and then, other than that song, it really does not go anywhere. Though that is what the album is designed to sound like, so I can't really knock them for it.

Artig å høre Lovefool i kontekst av albumet.

Lovefool + the Iron Man cover rule, and the other tracks are pleasant enough

Their sound is definitely unique - kind of a neo-soul lounge thing, if you were in an IKEA and meatballs were most certainly on the menu. Vocals are surprisingly interesting and feel “cool”. Maybe that’s the thing with this record - it feels cool, but I can’t pin down what the “cool” is - when you know, you know.

7 A big fan of first band on the moon for an album name

bleeding edge twee. they are called the CARDIGANS for pete's sake. They are tight, and I like the sabbath references. thats worth a whole star on it's own. 3

Went into this expecting it to not be my thing. I mean it isn’t, but it’s a solid pop album. I liked Been It, Never Recover, and Step On Me- And of course, Lovefool. The Black Sabbath cover was unexpected, but a fun surprise. There’s actually some interesting stuff going on instrumentally here and there. I was ready to write this one off, and while this isn’t really my taste, It’s an enjoyable enough album.

Звук у них своеобразный, узнаваемый, какой-то спрессованный.

3/5

Amazing combination of 4 star music with some 2 star lyrics...

Pleasant and original, a bit too sticky sweet in places. 3/5

A solid 3 from me, I agree they have a distinctive sound and I enjoy much of it but not more than it just being decent to good

Not my thing, but nice

Interesting Iron Man cover, little too sweet of an album for my liking. Still enjoyed it.

Sexy voice mehr nicht

This is a cute little album. I absolutely love the "Iron Man" cover. It works a lot better than you would think. Favorite track: Step On Me 3.5/5

Aye alright

It was nice but 🤷‍♂️

This was good, only knew the single so I was pleasantly surprised with the rest of it.

Of course we know the big hit but this was actually surprising. Fun pop music and well out together.

Fun!

It’s fine!

It's been a long time since 1996 so maybe I'm just not recalling, but this record has a kinda unique sound, really big and crunchy, and it cuts well against the grain of the poppy, dreamy songwriting and chord changes. That said, it's good not great, and other than the big single, there's not one song here that really makes me need to hear it again. There's like good parts of songs that might make 3-4 total good songs?

Funka greit nok

I like a few of their songs. The rest... meh

Enjoyable

Vale, este album ya me lo habia escuchado hace mucho tiempo y ha sido un buen momento para reescucharlo. Si, yo soy de los que les molan The Cardigans. Soy un bujarrilla jeje. El album en si está bien. Las melodias vocales y estribillos son memorables y en general la banda funciona guay en el estudio. Las canciones son pegadizas y son indie rock para madres divorciadas (o por aquel entonces cuando salió el disco, estudiantes de universidad de filología) Lo unico que si o si que tengo que recalcar es la producción. Es malísima. Es peor de lo que la recordaba. Y no es algo que podamos achacar a la época, porque por aquel entonces habia albums ya muy muy bien producidos. El disco este suena como si el productor le hubiese bajado los volumenes a todo a último momento. Se carga mucho la vidilla de los instrumentos, y es una pena. Por lo demás el disco está bien.

Good album with some sad undertones. Nice for zoning out.

Cardigans have a few great tracks. This album a bit samy as Nina’s voice lacks colour for me. Ok listen.

Unterhaltungsmusik

Dismissed as a one hit wonder, this one flew under the radar. Beautiful voice well produced good song construction.

Decent enough album, definitely some songs I will add to my playlist but felt that the rest were kind of filler.

A decent listen with a few standouts. The Iron Man cover took me by surprise but I kinda love their groovy take on it.

It moves up and down between a more intimate setting and a fuller, more central sound, creating a nice contrast throughout the record. This is best expressed in “Step On Me,” where a wide variety of sounds are used to build that contrast. “Lovefool” is undoubtedly the most well-known song on this record. It’s a bit too mellow for my taste, though it fits perfectly with the lyrics and explains why it was the track that first caught my attention. After relistening, “Iron Man” stands out as a surprisingly creative take on the Black Sabbath original - a real highlight among the many metal covers I’ve heard over the years. Balancing this with my personal preferences, the album sits more in the background listening category for me, and it does a great job in that role. Still, it’s not something I’d choose to actively listen to, which puts it at a high 3 overall. The remastered version suffers slightly in recording quality, with some sections sounding overly sharp. That ultimately helps me decide between a 3 and a 4 out of 5 rating.

later

This was borderline forgettable, still fun, like self-aware and clever 90s Miramax romcom music. I'm not sure how much I like it all the way through but it does have its moments. The Black Sabbath cover was fun! You can tell this is a pop rock band that didn't start out doing pop rock and are underplaying their hand with all their cool influences. I do like the album Gran Turismo more.

I’d heard Lovefool countless times before, but this was my first time listening to the whole album. I like the guitar sound quite a bit, but to be honest, the sweet vocals were a bit too much for my taste over the course of the whole album.

Cool sounds in an 80’s kinda way

Started just so-so but found its groove by the well-known Lovefool hit and finished strong.

-pretty chill album, but not very memorable tbh.

I didn’t expect much, but this was actually pretty decent. Love Fool is the obvious standout, but the rest is also adequately listenable. The Iron Man was definitely different, though. I kind of dig it, but can see how a lot of folks would downright hate it. Maybe not high praise, but there’s also not a lot to complain about either.

I know this band. They are awesome from the couple songs I have heard on the radio. Pretty good songs. and then you have lovefool. Great track.

The Iron Man cover was certainly an odd moment, but overall it was alright. A couple of tracks stood out, but generally a fine album.

I like having a female fronted alt album, just wish it did a little more. Only Lovefool remained in my memory after listening, and I just don’t love that single. Meh

Lovefool almost pushed this up to a 4 star but the vocals on some of the other songs just didn’t match up it. An OK album overall.

love fool is a masterpiece, rest of the album is okay

Rating: 5.5/10 What an intriguing album, experimental pop that does not really click with me but I recognize the unique nature of this. Will definitely re-listen at some point.

I thought this was a fun listen. Very interesting they covered Iron Man, because man the vibes are so different between Ozzie and Nina. Favorite tracks: Lovefool, Iron Man

A good listen! Lovefool is an undeniable hit, but most of the rest of this is on the level of good but not great. The singers voice is fantastic and this is produced ‘around’ her sound, but the energy in most of this is just too low and slow. Still a great time and a great time capsule. Their next record is better I think.

Your New Cuckoo is the kind of Twee Pop I've only ever heard Japanese bands do, I really enjoy it and I guess this is my sign to listen to more of it. Immediately afterwards, the album switches to a more pop-rock sounds and provides a consistently underwhelming series of tracks, with the exception of Lovefool. Hard to fully describe but they're just boring/uninteresting/forgettable. Additional note: I honestly thought prior to listening that Lovefool was a Kylie Minogue release.

Pleasantly surprised. I love Karen O from YYYs, Emily Haines from Metric, as well as Helena from Arcade Fire. And you don't really get those great 2000's icons without this super powerpuff pop princess. I'll admit its not the strongest case for 1990s alt pop rock but its neat knowing this was the same decade as Nirvana and Oasis.

Interesting Iron Man cover

Solid listen. Will probably listen again.

Loved the nods to Black Sabbath, and all the slight tips of the cap to metal music in general. But for the most part I found this music suspiciously hypnotizing. Like most tracks could have been used in Zoolander to trigger the male models to attack. Maybe it's because I find the lead singers voice to be adorable, and the guitars were pretty catchy.

Lovefool.

Could have sworn Lovefool was by Kylie Minogue, but apparently that’s completely wrong. No idea why I thought that other than it sounds a bit like her. That revelation was the most interesting thing about the album for me.

Lovefool is a decent banger. I did like this, and the singer has a lovely voice. But 24 hours on I can’t really remember anything other than Lovefool. Perhaps it was all a bit samey. Simpsons: No

Love Fool is a good track and does all of the heavy lifting here. The rest are all right; however, I was a little disappointed with the Iron Man cover.

Strong 3, pushing 4

3.5

Recognized Lovefool.

Sure, this was...fine. I have no opinions about it, really.

I enjoyed it, couple classics, but just ok overall.

Not a classic.

Only ever heard the singles. Found this quite hit and miss overall. And interesting cover of iron man as well!

The name, The Cardigans, sounded vaguely familiar but I initially couldn't place it. Within the first 30sec of this album I said “Oh... I bet this is the album with that ‘love me love me, say that you love me’ song”. Well, that's called “Lovefool” and it’s track 7. I have a vivid memory of sleeping over a friend’s house when I was ten and hearing that song play on repeat from his sister’s room all night while I couldn’t sleep. It’s not a bad song, but I heard it enough in that one night to last me a lifetime. Looking past that, the rest of the album is a pretty fun/light listen that added some sunshine to my morning. I know the band is Swedish, but the sound is like a 'California Rock' album with all the 60s nostalgia of 90s Brit Rock. They even include a cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man", and "Iron Man" references in "Heartbreaker" and "Choke", just to prove the point. This sound persisted (you can hear it from actual California bands like Beulah) but "Lovefool" feels like the high-water mark for this sound. Hole will drop the nostalgia for grunge and relaunch the California sound in '98 with Celebrity Skin. Then there's the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication in '99, and so on... anyways, I digress. If I have a complaint, it's that Nina's voice starts to get a little cloying over the course of the album; I wish her range was just a little bit lower and not so saccharine sweet in every song. Interestingly, "Lovefool" has some stacked vocal harmonies that help balance this out really well, but they didn't bother with it anywhere else on the album.

A decent album, although I preferred Gran Turismo to this one.

Not my kind of music but it wasn't bad at all

Pure 90s nostalgia. Loved it!

not bad

Pretty good, but I became less engaged as it went on

opening song was cool. nice indie / alt rock.

The album was solid. It started pretty well. But the singers voice started to bother me after a while. Also, what on earth was going on with the cover of Iron Man?

This album sounds like my summer girl. The one who'll be a summery girl. She'll have hair. She'll have summery friends who know how to be outside. She'll play tennis and wear dresses and have bare feet, and in the autumn, I'll ditch her, because she's my summer girl! Jaunty and sexy, with a universal hit plopped right in the middle. But why the Sabbath cover? We already know how kooky you are after the rest of the album! Favourite tracks: Been It, Never Recover, Great Divide

Some great stuff on here. Started slow and I wasn't convinced but it really grew on me. Love Fool still absolutely slaps, too.

A meld of soft pop and rock. The gentle vocals soothed my ears as I listened, and having a female singer was very enjoyable especially after the recent run of albums. The issue is as a whole I didn’t enjoy listening to the album. Losers was a great song- loved the bridge to chorus. But I was left wanting more on a lot of the album

Okay, there was some interesting ones in the first half of the album. Lovefool being their song I remember. The second one, personally, felt like they were trying to fluff the runtime of the album, were as catchy.

Solid album with Lovefool as it's lonely hit, i really prefer their later years with Gran Turismo

Good album

Pleasantly weird

lovefool carried hard

Stylish Swedish lounge indie with a surprisingly strong bite underneath all the surface sugar. Nina Persson is one of the coolest singers imaginable. Standout track: Losers.

They definitely have a unique sound, for me something I didn't love or hate.

Fun songs,

3.5

Some strikes against this one - mostly generic rock, she apparently pioneered that sorta whispery annoying voice in rock ladies, confusing Nordglish lyrics, borderline misogyny in some of the songs, I think? Some HRs too, a truly unhinged take on Iron Man, and lovefool (ohhhh that song!) is interesting and has no end of hooks.

Svenskt andra dagen på raken. Jovars, det funkar väl det här.

Some decent indie rock. Love Your New Cuckoo. Im not a huge fan of Lovefool though. I like some of the vocals here though 6/10 Favourite: Your New Cuckoo Least Favourite: Heartbreaker

They tried many things. Lots of key changes, bends, and some unusual chord progression. But sometimes I find it overwhelming. There are too many “novel” ideas in one song. And sometimes the disharmony is not really “resolved”. Instead they just switched to a completely different direction. Many times I feel the disharmony is gone but the discomfort is still there. Lead vocal is relatively recognisable. Very good. She sounds amazing when she tries belting! But often she goes more breathy. Overall this album has a 5 star potential but it lands at 3 for me.

an enjoyable album for sure. lovefool is the obvious standout, but i let this run on repeat yesterday while playing some Balatro and it was lovely.

It's a solid pop record that has more to offer than the radio-known hit "Lovefool". There are dreamier songs on there and also rockier stuff. It's nice, but nothing that gets me going too much.

Fun, fav songs were lovefool and step on me

Mid level 90’s music. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Decent album, her voice is certainly distinctive.

An interesting lead vocalist

It's good, nothing special, sounds fine, enjoyable enough. Nothing impressive don't really see why this is on the list but you know it didn't suck so I guess I'll take it.

was only familiar w/ Lovefool. rest of album was solid "meh". vocals just blended in together......

not really great idk.

i didn't enjoy it at first but listening to it a second time I started to get it (more, her voice is so angelic, she's coming straight from the heaven)

Rakastettava ääni laulajalla! Musat toimii toimii!

this album is like eating candy with a tooth ache. It’s good in the moment, but there’s a pain throughout. the woman’s voice compliments the music well but i can’t help but feel like it starts to annoy me/give me a headache after a while. not bad in general tho

It's a good record, but don't really see it as being an essential or that big a deal honestly. It's a fun indie/pop rock record, with one big hit, but it wasn't really that much more for me. There's some nice bass lines, and Nina Persson's voice is great. The rest works pretty well too, the strings are good too. But overall, it's nothing to write home about being honest. The Black Sabbath nods are a nice touch but not much else. In terms of songs, "Lovefool" is the obvious standout. It's a banger. Besides that, "Your New Cuckoo" and "Been It" had a nice vibe.

Music is ok. Like the Iron Man cover.

I have loved the song Lovefool since I was a kid. I didn’t know any of the other songs on the album. There was a weird cover of Iron Man though. I like her voice and it sounds like a lot of things I listen to.

If this album had ‘My Favourite Game’ on it I’d probably be giving it a 4 instead. Just a few too many ‘meh’ songs. Your New Cuckoo (6/10) Been It (8/10) Heartbreaker (6/10) Happy Meal II (7/10) Never Recover (8/10) Step On Me (7/10) Lovefool (8/10) Losers (7/10) Iron Man (6/10) Great Divide (7/10) Choke (7/10) 7/10

Pretty good for its time and place

"Lovefool" is a great track and still a classic. There are a couple other solid songs here, but overall the album feels flat and forgettable.

I mean, I like “Lovefool.” But there’s nothing essential about even that. And the rest of the album, while pleasant enough, isn’t at the level of “Lovefool.” I rounded up to three stars.

2,5

I had hoped to like this more. I think “Lovefool” deserves its iconic status, but I never listened to more Cardigans than that (and I listened to that song a lot). The rest of this album is probably too smart for the same crowd that enjoyed their radio hit. Still (or maybe consequently) it’s not as easy to get into for me. Big points for the Iron Man cover though.

Ok but not like the previous one

Strong start to be honest. I wasn’t expecting a woman as the singer but I like her voice. Also a smooth transition from the 1st song to the second song

A bit of a departure from the sabbath that everyone had yesterday but I almost think we all came here too as a little joke from Mr 1001 man. The iron man cover is funny but a pretty unique rendition. I liked it. Love fool is a song ive known forever but never once thought about who sang it. And its still a good one. The other songs here are also pretty good. Nothing too crazy but the singers voice is very nice and one of a kind. Just a laid back chill kinda time. Enjoyable if not the most engaging thing of all time. Worth a listen though for sure

nice, me sigue pareciendo mejor el primer disco de cardigans, pero igual ta re copado, mejoraron la produccion y las melodias del disco anterior !

5/10 It's... Fine? Jingle, jangle pop guitar. Very much of its time.

I first heard Carnival by the Cardigans in one of the Austin Powers movies, but I never listened to anything else by them until this album. Lovefool is the most popular song from this album—you’ve probably heard it. “Love me, love me, say that you love me. Leave me, leave me, just say that you need me.” The album still sounds very fresh for an album from the ‘90s. The production and mixing is pristine. There’s a strange cover of Iron Man on here. The lyrics don’t fit the instrumental very well. They should’ve just added their own lyrics over the instrumental. Your New Cuckoo is my favorite track.

I like her voice. Was a nice album for a rainy afternoon.

👍

Love me love me, say that you love me. Other songs were kinda dreamy, lay singer has a nice voice. Not unlikely to revisit, but didn’t necessarily love.

Classic

Meh

Didn’t know much about Cardigans outside a couple hits, but they’re a fun, diverse and kinda weird band (Burning Down the House with Tom Jones?). Started on their catalog after this one, which is high otraise from me. Nina Persson’s voice is fetching.

Ok, I guess. Some decent/unexpected arrangements with horns and flute and whatnot, but I definitely could have died without hearing this. I got sick of the singer's baby voice quite quickly.

Altogether quite fun, although not a lot stood out . Have never been a massive fan of love fool but was pleasantly surprised by their other songs

ehh not my thing

Enjoyable but nothing really stood out to me

It was cute, perhaps a little too cute. I found her voice annoying at a point. Not bad, not great, very middle.

I wanted to like this, and I think a lot of Cardigans sounds good but apart from the big single this struggled a bit. Musically really interesting but not quite consistent.

Happy pop. “Lovefool” is a great song. Not sure the rest of the album rises to the same level.

Tsja, lovefool bekend nummer en ik zal niet liegen, die heb ik met enigszins geknepen ballen mee lopen bleren. Verder oke, wel vrij deprimerende teksten. Vrouw die over zichzelf zingt dat ze gebruikt wilt worden, ik vind daar wat van. Anyway. 2.5 ster, dus 3

A flashback. Love the hits, not so much the album.

Better than I had expected. Very fun

More interesting than I thought it’d be. I didn’t get then when I was young but now I see how they were making alt-pop. A good listen.

Fine. Nothing groundbreaking. Enjoyable enough. Good aesthetic. Strange that there are Sabbath references but they're not obtrusive.

It was a fine album. Realized I actually knew lovefool, the rest kinda feels samey. I do kinda like the baby voice singer vibes. But I’ll be honest man of the year by Lorde really overshadowed this record today.

I really enjoyed the hit from the album Lovefool. Otherwise there were a couple other really solid songs, but the vibe of the album as a whole just felt really strange and unsettling and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I think it’s good but I’m not sure.

Tale of two halves. First half of the album is pretty generic. Everything from "Lovefool" on was pretty cool

Its pretty ok. They have their one banger from the 90s but nothing else stood out or really pulled me in.

‘Lovefool’ is a catchy song, there’s the same tone but not as remarkable.

Overall, not a bad album but it definitely feels like it's not from the late 90s. I can imagine people enjoying jamming to this. I also hadn't really thought about who sings that "love me, love me, say that you love mee" song, which is also their most popular one. Overall, the album is pretty chill, nothing too exciting but also nothing too bad.

3.3.

First Band On The Moon makes the 1001 List because of the album title (and maybe throw one to the Swedes.) Familiar with Lovefool from late 90s radio, but couldn’t have told you the band. Must have been much more impactful in Europe. To me, this album is middle-of-the-road 90s pop carried by one song and the vocals. Comes in at (2.6*s) cute.

This album was obviously carried by the one big hit. But there's still a lot of cool stuff in here, so I wouldn't overlook this one. A solid listen. You're in the mood for that kind of alt sophisticated pop

This is decent. There's one hit on it. I'll go 3/5, but I'd say it's right-in-the-middle average.

Somehow in my mind I confused the cardigans and the cranberries. Therefore I went in thinking I was going to hear the distinctive sound and voice of the Cranberries, which I enjoy, and that tainted the first few songs. After an adjustment I ended up happily listening to the remainder of the album. It was good but nothing outstanding and even though it has been years since I heard the single i could only remember how overplayed it was which made me unable to fully enjoy it.

Pretty good, even outside the hits. I like her soft voice

tokfu music :D

Pop rock met een zangeres die klinkt alsof ze normaal triphopliedjes inzingt. Met een beetje zo'n Killers-achtig megafoon effect op de stem ook. Het heeft wel iets zomers en vrolijks, maar toch pakt het album me niet helemaal. Ik heb hier eigenlijk niet zo bijzonder veel over te melden. Gewoon een eenvoudige 3 sterren.

The Iron Man cover is great. Not as a song I listen to regularly, but it's a fun play on the original. Lovefool is one of those minor hits that doesn't get radio play or cultural recognition, but it's also pretty good for what it is. The rest of the album is... more of that. A weird mix of bubblegum and serious that makes it a fascinating album, but is ultimately just a curiosity, unless it hits for you. It feels like they are courting a proto-Charli XCX fan base.

3/5

Greatly enjoyable in its own right. I definitely recognized lovefool but hadn't heard of this band otherwise. Inoffensive and has a nice softness throughout. I like the overly sweet vocals. Feels lavish. Iron man was unexpected though

Music is good, but not that into it. More diverse songs than I expected. The Ironman cover was oddly cool.

I enjoyed it, as silly as it is

can’t complain. some catchy stuff here and there

The sound is just so original. Not something I want to listen to regularly, but respect this for what it is.

Nina's vocals carry the band, and Lovefool carries the album. The rest is ok, but not great. Though the Iron Man cover is interesting.

Pretty nice.

Not a bad listen, wouldn’t rush back

It was ok but their comer of Iton Mam was badass.

Very unorthodox style to this album. I really did not connect with the first half at all, but the more mellow B side had some really interesting moments. Definitely was not expecting pretty up-front Sabbath influence on this album, but very appreciated. Wasnt in love with the whole thing, but is worth a listen. Top tracks: Step On Me, Lovefool, Iron Man

Det är trallvänligt. Men det är inte asbra. Deras hit (lovedool) har jag aldrig riktigt diggat. Tror ett stort problem Ninas babyröst. Lite lattjo cover på Iron man dock.

Inte lyssnat så mycket på Cardigans annat än singlarna. Tycker plattan genomgående håller hög kvalitet, men på något sätt blir det lite för släpigt och utan att riktigt lyfta till de högre höjderna (för mig i alla fall). Aldrig varit riktigt såld ens på Lovefool. Det är dock trevlig lyssning och ett gediget hantverk, så blir en stark trea.

First Band on the Moon is the sonic equivalent of a Swedish smorgasbord—cool, eclectic, and deceptively sweet until the existential meatballs hit. With syrupy vocals from Nina Persson that sound like they were filtered through a snowflake, and melodies that dance like ABBA in a dark alley with a Velvet Underground record, the album lures you in with sugar-pop charm before delivering a sly slap of melancholy. It’s as if IKEA decided to start a band: everything fits together neatly, but there’s always one piece missing just to keep you awake at night. A quirky, catchy, and cunning slice of Swedish pop alchemy.

Lovefool is one of the best pop songs of the 90s and I enjoyed the cheeky Iron Man cover.

Nothing of particular note in this album. Its fine. Iron Man cover I imagine was novel at the time but doesn't land in this age of a million "what if *insert song* was sung in *insert different genre*". Underwhelming ultimately.

3.5

Why are there albums on here that should just be a single? The single on this is produced differently than the rest of the album. Why? Just make an album that sounds like the single and you might have more than one hit? That being said that one song is fucking killer. Plus the iron man cover is pretty hilarious. Rest of the album just gets whiney about 2 songs in.

Didn‘t impress me much, wonder why it‘s on the list. Quite mediocre indie pop rock.

I think that it’s fun. Lovefool is a classic great song. It’s odd how much this sounds like music from the OC

Mellow, great drums and vocals - enjoyable but nothing stands out.

I really like the Cardigans last two albums - Long Gone before Daylight and Super Extra Gravity - which are darker/ slower and more country infused and both definite 5/5 for me. I really like Nina's solo work also - especially the first A Camp album. I struggle a little with the earlier popper/kitscher albums and find them grating compared to the later albums. Do like Been It and the Iron Man cover (appear to be in minority for this) but sadly Love Fool is so over played now that I skipped it.

Very chill, clearly wildly influentual for contemporary sweet pop music

esch ez gsi. has tbh nor einisch glost und crazy ufmerksam. müessts vlt nomol lose aber grundsätzlich no easi tötn und so chli good vibes mässig

Pretty solid.

vaguely interesting, feels a bit weird-quirky-style over substance the lunar vibe comes through on the iron man cover in particular

Was ok. Interesting enough to balance out the pop leanings. 3.3 stars.

<3

3.75 great album. Ironman cover is a treat

mid album, but lovefool is a generational banger

Favorite Track: Iron Man

Solid stuff, chill vibes a bit slow at times mes but lovefool is a great song

Lovefool banger generazionale

3+

-love me loveme say that you love me…. -this is a very nice collection of songs.. her voice reminds me of a lot of other 90s indie / trip hop artists I like. some bangers on here including of course Lovefool -there would have been a time when I’d give this a four-star rating, though some tracks fell flat. healthy 3.5 -Favorites are Happy Meal II, Lovefool, and Iron Man

Heard a different Cardigans album before in full (and of course I know Lovefool). What a coincidence, I was thinking about Nina Persson yesterday. The album is really lovely. The Iron Man cover took me by surprise, quite unexpected. 3/5

The songs improved toward the end of the album. But the more pop-oriented songs were of no interest to me.

Pretty good, almost feels unique, like a chill but poppy and groovy light rock sound or something. Lovefools a classic of course

I found this a little bit boring. Pleasant but boring.

Gear: ZMF Bokeh Artwork: 📸🥁🤘 Production: 🧏‍♂️📏💩 Music: 🧼👩‍🎤😯🤖 Rating: 🌕🌕(🌕)/5

Sabrosón y con el exitazo de Lovefool, pero tampoco me pareció tan memorable.

There was some good stuff here. The cover of Iron Man was interesting. A lot was pretty forgettable. Lovefool is a great song.

Not bad, not great.

They weren’t the first band on the moon. That was Houmous & Chutney in 1968 - we were actually sent up to firstly test the landing craft for Buzz and Neil and also to test whether anyone could actually hear music in space. NASA never shared the results. 3.2

was nice in a nostalgic mid 90s sort of way but ultimately this was characterised by lovefool. Without that song it would be nice but unremarkable

Maybe the only song I heard more than "Lovefool" on the radio in 1996 was "The Macarena." Lovefool was one of those songs that I initially liked but ended up hating with a passion because there was just no way to get away from it. I think I largely wrote the band off because of that. Over the years I've come to appreciate The Cardigans a bit more — I thought their cover of "Iron Man" (which is featured on this album) was cool, and their appearance on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver a few years back was rather endearing. But I never sat down to listen to any of their albums in full until now. This album is hard to describe other than it's very 90s. It's a weird mix of 70s-style soft rock (complete with schmalzy flute solos), experimental art pop, and Sheryl Crow soft rock. And I'm not sure I really enjoyed it. Maybe repeated listens are required, but nothing really grabbed me on the first play through. It's good enough background music, but not something I'd go out of my way to listen to. The singles (Lovefool and Iron Man) are definitely the best songs on the album. I can see this being a hit with fans of Air and even Beck. For me it was just ok. 3/5

Fine but the hits really annoying

Pretty unique stuff. The vocalist is very good, but a little too cutsie poopsie for my taste. The more upbeat songs break it up nicely. The music is clever and quirky at times.

I've never consciously heard "The Cardigans" so approached this with no expectations other than what I might expect from a late 90s recording. I got something that sounded like it was from several decades earlier. There's a distinct 50s style to the vocal presentation. An interesting selection. With some good arrangements. Can someone please take the drummer's cymbals away? Too much and too prominent in the mix. I failed to be grabbed by anything on here but it was pleasant enough. That gets it a middling 3/5.

there are certainly worse albums on the list. extra points for the iron man cover. i appreciate when artists can take a song from another genre and make it sound like their own. i dont think i ever want to hear it again but A+ for effort.

There were bits of this that were good but overall it was a bit meh - I didn't love the vocals and the Iron Man cover wasn't it.