First Band On The Moon

Heard it before?: No, although I have heard ‘Lovefool’ before Enjoy it?: Yes! The vocals compliment and lush the sound beyond what you would expect of an angelic voice with that perfect middle ground of it not being too soft for the genre but not being too aggressive, goes incredibly well with every song on this one. Favourite song: Track 2 - Been it (Track 7- Lovefool needs an honourable mention too).

OK I'm well confused, the Cardigan's were not what I was expecting! Think I've got them mixed up with another band. Also VERY confused that 'Say that you love me' was on her, gun to my head would have said Kylie did that song. Mixed bag for me this, sometimes that style of singing grates on me a bit. BUT Some of them were fun. Wonder if they were inspo for Lily Allen. Just found out they're from Sweden, did not that see coming. Twists and turns.

It's ok, it has some good songs, it isn't my kind of music. 3/5

It starts off really good but peters off badly

Finding my feet with comparative ratings I think this is a solid 3. I had low expectations but enjoyed it

Her voice can be a bit annoying at times

This was alright, however I don't really see myself revisiting it.

Interesting album. I could listen to Nina Persson’s vocals all day! 3.5/5

It’s no Gran Turismo.

Dark jazzy thing - wild Sabbath cover

This isn't bad, but I just can't listen to an entire album. I did, but it wasn't pleasant. Lovefool is the obvious hit here, and I can easily listen to that.

3.5/5. Shoutout Sweden.

Meh

Pretty solid album. Always fun to hear the one song you know from the radio but never knew who sang it. Loved the Sabbath nods.

A pleasant enough blend of 60s pop, bossa nova, and Black Sabbath. Definitely wears its influences on its sleeve.

Mellow but cool album with 1 hit.

Un son joyeux, ça fait très care free comme musique. Pas le meilleur album ever, mais un album avec une bonne ambiance qui fait un peu été

Wasn’t too remarkable although Lovefool is a standout for me.

Great album

"First Band on the Moon" is the third album from Swedish pop band The Cardigans and was their major breakthrough internationally. This is well-crafted and well-produced pop. I would say laid back, happy and even kind of fluffy at times. It's funny there's always a song that comes on after streaming the album that resembles it and in this case it was Blondie's "Heart of Glass." If only! What this album does miss is an edge. Some edge. Maybe, "Heartbreaker," "Losers" or "Step In Me" do have that little bit of edge I seem to be missing. Anyway, it is fine for it tries to do and was very successful. The first single "Lovefool" was a big hit internationally. It does have a very catchy chorus and well-placed music backing and balancing. This song actually prompted me to buy their next album; I think I still have it. The next two singles "Your New Cuckoo" and "Been It" are also good sounding pop songs. They actually do a cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" in a pop, slowed-paced and somewhat soulful style. If it wasn't for lead singer Nina Persson's sexual overtones on saying and singing Iron Man I would put this into one of the worst covers ever. Instead, I put it in the interesting category. As mentioned, this is well-made and well-produced 90's pop. If that's your thing, this is all you.

A pretty good 90s pop-adjacent record. Lovefool is widely known, but I didn't know anything else from this.

First review can't go too crazy. I'd always thought Lovefool was by Sophie Ellis Bextor! Everyday a school day. Favourite track - Your New Cuckoo

Prima muziek, maar ik vind de zangeres een beetje "zeikerig" over komen. Haar stem gaat op den duur wat irriteren, dus zou niet zo snel nog een heel album van ze luisteren. ***

Lovefool e go

not really my style :/

Wow I have not listen to this a long long time, did own this one. Some catchy tunes and like the sultry vocals on some of songs. It's not a bad album just not a great album. 2.5 for sure.

There are a couple of OK pop tunes here, and an interesting and fun cover of Iron Man, but overall nothing too special.

It was fine. I really liked Love Fool when it came out. I think I saw them open for Beck around this time.

Lovefool is super catchy, of course. Pure late 90s pop, and I could see the scenes in movies and TV it was used in my head while it was playing. The rest is fine.

Poppy goodness. A bit of everything.

Fun little album.

musicalement ca décrit parfaitement la vibe du cardigan je dois dire

3.6 - Some bops on here, especially “Lovefool” that amplifies the unreliable narrator motif to fun absurdity. Also, “Your New Cuckoo” and the cover of “Iron Man.” Nina Persson borrows from Dusty Springfield’s playbook and becomes the obliging and world-weary mistress/whore, with the voice and look of a pixie.

This was a nice and quiet pop album. Nothing too fancy but it's pleasant to have in the background.

The Cardigans are the least offensive band from a nation that specialises in inoffensive pop

If this album was a Friends quote, it would definitely be "I'm breezy". Nina Pearson's voice has an unconvinced cheeriness to it, which suits a lot of the lyrics. Overall, nice enough indie pop but (Lovefool aside) not all that memorable. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Lovefool Date listened: 04/05/22

Very nice and inoffensive… these are fairly popular, but not my thing. Can just about see the appeal though, and this isn’t a bad album!

Highlights: Been It, Lovefool. It's a decent album around a huge hit. The Iron Man cover was a fun surprise.

All things 90's, qué hermoso álbum.

More than just Lovefool

Some interesting sounds

It was okay.

Not bad

A respectable set of songs from The Cardigans that includes their biggest hit and some better than expected material like Happy Meal II and Great Divide, not to mention a reimagined Black Sabbath cover. Favorites: Your New Cuckoo, Happy Meal II, Step on Me, Lovefool, Losers, Great Divide.

Not a bad album. Enjoyed some songs. Actually found that song Lovefool from this album. Good listen.

Nice, pleasant, and fun. Nothing too profound. 3 stars.

It's pleasant and airy with a nice female vocalist and a mega-hit in the middle. I could probably get into this on repeated listens. Maybe.

Apart from Lovefool The Cardigans were just a one hit lounge wonder, right? Bubblegum 90's. Sweden!! (ABBA). Trainwreckords on YouTube suggested their image is misleading and that their extended repertoire is much more subversive. Black Letter Day? Rise and Shine? Black Sabbath - Iron Man? Calling ahead to Sing Sing - Feels Like Summer? "Hooks for days!" "Seductive codependence" (trademark Todd in the Shadows). Trying to keep this short. First half of the record meandering, cloying. Schmaltzy instrumentals. Distracting sprite vocals. I think of bands like Depeche Mode and Muse where the vocals get in the way... Juliana Hatfield chain smoking wishing she could rough up her voice. The "failed follow up" next record "My Favourite Game" sounds like garbage.. The band Garbage - "It kicks a lotta ass!" ... but onwards and darkards - the Anti-Lovefool. Did they deserve better? "Hell Yeah" - Todd(tm).

i didn't expect it to be so jazzy. i mean jazz flute on your opening track, those crazy swedes. it was alright, i might have enjoyed some of it but i can't really remember.

This album didn't really grab me in the first half. It felt like there just wasn't enough there to hold my interest. I thought the second half was better, though. I suspect further listenings might improve my opinion of the album, but for now it gets 3.5/5 stars.

Love fool, not bad.

Vaya con las referencias a Black Sabbath de este album. Me gustaban de su época "Your new cuckoo" y "Love fool" (por supuesto). Mejor de lo que esperaba en conjunto.

28th February 2022 Listened in the morning while working from home. Chilled evening watching nightmare alley. Diet No Doubt. Would have been 2.5 but for Love Fool.

OK. Other than Lovefool I wasn't impressed

Just OK

sometimes if feels you're listening to the same song again.

Lovely. Poppy. Jolly

Ok background music, did not overly grab me. Honestly there are times I found her voice lovely & times it made me want to bang my head against a wall bc its so sickenly sweet. Overall ok tho & Heartbreaker was the standout to me!

Not terrible but a bit boring

Don't love it

Pretty slick with nice kicks and licks

Quite pleasant to listen to, the big singles are stand out sounds of the 90s and as a whole the album flows nicely. But it didn't wow me

Singles are good comfort food at this stage. The rest of the album is likeable but maybe a bit forgettable? Probably being harsh, but 3 stars seems a fair rating

I loved their album ‘Life’ which I think was the one before this. I didn’t think I knew this one but it all sounded very familiar so I think maybe I did have it back in the day, hard to remember through the fug of Mid nineties Two Dogs!

‘Love Me’ and ‘The Great Divide’ are the stand out tracks! The rest: meh. Searing, incisive commentary, I know...

Like many others, I am familiar with Lovefool and that's about it. Not really a song I ever listen to on purpose, but it's one of those singles that's impossible to avoid. Everyone has heard it at one point in their life. As far as the rest of the album goes, I thought it was alright. Unique voice, often catchy pop tunes. Would not be surprised if this influenced No Doubt's early sound. Deserves more credit than just a one-hit wonder band. The "Iron Man" cover was surprisingly good.

I think it's ok - nothing really special to be honest save for "Lovefool", their by-far greatest hit. 6/10.

7/10

Decent enough. Love lovefool, but the rest was just average.

It's fine. Been It and Lovefool seem to stand out... the other songs were okay and not particularly catchy. I don't mind the style, but not too much compelling to rate it higher or have me listen more times.

Album is a bit all over the place. Some songs are nice, some got way too much radio play in the 90's and some are downright weird. Overall a nice break from other things I listen to, but won't rise to an album I've GOT to listen to.

This one's got a couple keepers. And the vocals are deceptive, delivering lyrics that are more interesting than they appeared to me at first. And not one but two Black Sabbath references in a Swedish pop package. Ultimately, though, nothing close to a completely invaluable package, end to end.

Wonderfully bummed pop.

Aaah, Nina Persson, pop-rock goddess of my teens. Bit of a mixed bag, although enjoyed listening again after all this time. Completely wiped the Iron Man cover from my memory, interesting reworking.

Not my favorite. Instrumentals were good but the vocals weren't for me.

Pretty good sound. The hopelessly romantic/desperate lyrics get a little old after a while. But some cool tunes, like a modern Indy album with a touch of 90s grunge.

Pretty cool distorted indie pop. Not enough to make me want to listen again but apparently more than just a two hit wonder.

Quirkier than I expected, and just when you think you have the album worked out, it wrong foots you. ‘Lovefool’ is clearly the star of the show, but ‘First Band On The Moon’ isn’t your bog-standard shiny indie pop/disco/rock record, there’s a fair bit more happening under the hood than initially meets the eye. A grower.

Love her voice and really enjoyed the album... almost a 4 but not quite

Not what I had in my head for this band. Far more varied and imaginative than expected.

Weak indy

Ok mushes and flows into each song with a super familiar feel. I loved the Iron Man Cover.

It's different and unique and chic. Their take on Iron Man is cool. And of course many folks recognize and enjoy Lovefool (a solid song). But the album is just okay in my opinion. Worth a listen or two, for sure. Didn't blow me away.

Mit einem Cardigans-Album hätte ich in dieser Liste nun wirklich nicht gerechnet. Eine durchwachsene Platte. Die üblichen Cardigans-Klopper (Rise&Shine, Lovefool, Rise and Shine, Carnival) fand ich ja immer sehr geil, den Rest eher so geht so, eben wie auf diesem Album. Die Iron Man-Coverversion ist allerdings sehr gelungen.

Good pop album, but I'm not convinced it's essential.

On the first song the dreamy background vocals ( la la la la la la) were borderline irritating but the guitar and lead vocals made a positive impression. I quite like Being It; I understand liking this song might be a Canadian thing. Lovefool is an excellent hit. When the Cowboy Junkies covered Sweet Jane I remember being pleasantly surprised that a mellow version with a female vocalist would word. Let's multiply that by a gazillion for the lovely cover of Iron Man. Her voice is kinda cool. I heard a flute a couple of times but don't see a credit. I like the name of the album but question the name of the band. Yeah I wear a cardigan occasionally but never thought of them as cool.

Cute pop album, Lovefool is a fun breezy song with nice hooks. Their cover of Iron Man is also an interesting take. If you’re in the mood for some Euro pop this one should fit the bill. This is a 2.5 star album, that I’ll round up.

An OK Cardigans album, but I prefer some of their other albums.

Not doing much for me. Solid band, but mostly uninteresting songs.

I knew Lovefool obviously and have listened to other Cardigans albums previously, so this was an interesting diversion. Love Nina Persson's voice but the songs just didn't really stick out or move me

Delightful little pop album but ultimately too light and fluffy for my taste.

Rentoa menoa

very much enjoyed this nonsense ! i'd forgotten how good it is.

When "Lovefool" came on, I recognized it. Had not heard the other songs from this album. The sound and style reminds me of some fairly recent pop songs I've heard; no idea if this band in particular was the direct influence or if it's part of a broader movement, but it's fun. I like that it's pop with a bit more color and texture.

Damals arbeitete ich mich an den sexy Flokati-Oberflächlichkeiten dieser Retro Perfektionisten ab. Klar war ich auch etwas verschossen in diese zart-raue, klein-starke Nina Persson (wer nicht?!). Höre ich dies nun etwas älter wieder, bleibt glücklicher Weise der cringe Moment aus, wenn man sich in der Nachschau reevaluiert; die Verkostung dieses Twee-Pop/Rock hält jedoch Höchstnoten zurück. Wie ein roter Sirupfaden zieht es sich durch eine Panton-Sitzlandschaft, in deren Brandlöchern, Baileys- und anderen Flecken die Lyrics kleben. Alles doch recht zuckrig und doch hieven die Supersingle „Lovefool“ und das trippin‘ Black Sabbath Cover „Iron Man“ das Ganze gehörig auf starke 2.5

Joah, klingt wie Tommy und Annika, die in den 90ern auf Sixties-Feelgood-Pop machen, mit Elementen aus Tropicana, Easy Listening, freundlicher Psychedelik und selbst aufgesetztem Pfefferminzlikör. Huch, es SIND Tommy und Annika, die in den 90ern auf Sixties-Feelgood-Pop machen, mit Elementen aus Tropicana, Easy Listening, freundlicher Psychedelik und selbst aufgesetztem Pfefferminzlikör? Na wer hätte das gedacht! Jedenfalls kommt mir das hier nicht mehr ganz so originell und frisch vor wie vor 25 (!) Jahren, als es noch viel Spaß brachte, das in voller Lautstärke im Wechsel mit Pizzicato 5 über den Zeltplatz beim Dynamo Festival zu blasen. Was es damals aber auf jeden Fall war. Und nett anzuhören ist es ja auch immer noch, daher: gern 2,8 dafür!

They would have gotten four stars from me if they hadn't done that shitty cover of Iron Man.

This is fine

Catchy pop-rock pitched somewhere inbetween Badfinger and Orange Juice, which should be right up my alley. And it is, sort of - but the breathy, cooing singing wears on me after a while. I can take a track or two, but a whole album is just a hit of saccharine too much for moi.

What is it with Swedes and English language bubblegum pop? This was all pleasant enough, though other than the song that dominated a certain slice of my radio/video airtime history, not all that memorable.

Ganz schön, aber für mich nichts besonderes

Wirklich nett aber durch und durch nett

Better than I expected, but also there weren't any hidden gems that made my playlist. Best track: Lovefool

I'm really not a fan of the twee vocals, although the music is fine, quirky 90s alt-pop fare. Hiding behind those vocals are some occasionally clever musical moments. I heard "Lovefool" so many times back in the day I was not inclined to like it now, but it has a heck of a hook to it I must admit. +1 for the unexpected cover of "Iron Man," which was the best song on the album. Favorite songs: Iron Man, Step on Me, Lovefool

I don't know what I've listen to but it's not 2 star thing. So 3 stars.

3 stars

S-ABBA-th Not too shabby

Somewhere between okay and good, but it has a song on it I love (lovefool). Would enjoy it a lot more if it was less pop and more alt.

It was ok. Was never a fan of Lovefool and the rest was in a similar vein.

Not usually my type of music, so I didn't expect to like this to be honest. But it positively suprised me and I found myself enjoying this quite a bit.

I had only ever heard Lovefool before. This album was a pleasant surprise.

Wouldn’t listen to for pleasure but tells a great story and adds a whole level to lovefool

Not offensive to my ears or anything, just not really my preferred style. Felt a little cheesy to me.

Every song is more unexpected than the last! The first track really sets you up for something generic but "Been It" comes in with a slappin' riff and "Heartbreaker" slows things down with this dreamy, waltzy vibe. Really digging this!

Poppy/alt-rock. Guitar, bass, keyboard, vocals.

Wasnt too bad, love the singers voice. Was glad to hear Lovefool, its a great song. Wouldnt say no to listening again. 3 stars

First Band on the Moon is saved by the Cardigans' core strengths: Persson's vocals and Svensson's arrangements.

Unexpected move making Black Sabbath sound happy. Good album.

Bright, happy Scandi-pop from the 1990s. It's got a kind of dreamy, cool vibe, rather than pure cheesy pop. I remember the big single from this. The whole album sounds pretty good - better than most Britpop of the period at least. I don't think there's enough here for it to be essential listening by any means... 3/5

Nice enough to listen to, a few tracks I would listen to again. The Iron Man cover is weird though!

Lovefool is a classic. When I first heard Your New Cuckoo, I thought this album would be very one note. However after listening to a lot of the tracks I was quickly proven wrong. I love love the Iron Man cover, what an excellent spin on that song.

An ok album with some well crafted pop songs. Very much ‘of its type’ and not a record that I’d badge as essential listening

good tunes. alluring female vocalist. the iron man cover is unexpectedly good.

Interesting. Did not expect the Iron Man cover from the Lovefool band. There more here than meets the eye.

Me escuché las tres primeras y sonaba mu guay pero tenía que hacer ejercicio y me apetecía mover el cucu con Release Me de Agnes

Mixed feelings, I'm never a big fan of breathy vocals, and her voice in general kind of annoys me but there were some catchy songs on here

unremarkable

6. Quite pleasant to listen to, but nothing to get very excited about either.

Pop with good arrangements

Okay now this is a good album. At first, all I was thinking was this sounds like some Gwen Stefani wannabee but as soon as I heard Lovefool, I realized what I did was wrong. Very moody but didn't lose that feeling of rock. The cover of Iron Man was also very well done and I may like it more than the original. I don't have much else to say other than it's a great listen but I don't see myself listening to it more than a couple of times, I think 3 would be enough.

When I first saw the album on the website I was scratching my head trying to figure out why the name sounded familiar. Then when I pulled the album up the lightbulb went off. Lovefool was one of my childhood favorite songs and comes with a story. One of the few memories I have from living in Minnesota is getting on an ice cold bus in the morning to go to school and one of the neighbor girls, don’t remember her name, but on the bus this song came on and she turned around and did a lip sync of it to me. That memory has always stuck with me and I always think about it when listening to love fool. I don’t think anyone had sang to me before so it was a big deal. But not as big a deal as this band being the first band on the moon! I’m saddened they weren’t able to film their moon visit because that would be cool to hear them perform Lovefool in Lunar Orbit or even on the moons surface. Unfortunately, their album cover is forgettable and most of the other songs on the album are equally unremarkable. They have an interesting sound that seems like something out of the 70’s flower child movement but the lyrics did not stick with me at all. Except for Lovefool (and the Iron Man cover!). I love that song.

false

Enjoyed a few songs on here, but overall a fun and forgettable record. Some places the vocals were too twee, some they felt just right. 3

I reallly love lovefool but its a rather average album

Not bad

Trippy Swedish indie pop

Definitely influenced alvvays

one hit wonder known for the wrong song

Happy music

Lovefool classic. Also liked Your New Cuckoo and Been It

Saccharinely sweet. I do like her voice though, but I might prefer it in a different context. No idea that "Lovefool" was this band, crazy. That Ironman cover was unexpected, kind of like it?

Chill light 90s pop. Reminds me of early Gwen ska.

Not bad. The Iron Man cover though?

Not quite my type

Not my favorite Cardigans album, but still a few nice songs on it, including classic Lovefool.

Not too band. Includes the cardigans hit lovefool. Also has a interesting cover of iron man. Has the classical cardigans sound

some songs are GREAT, and some are just really bad..

Far better than I thought it would be.

Fun

Interesting album, didn't know Lovefool is their song

Fængende poprock, muntert, simpelt

Sugary music.

it's hipstery alt-pop but somehow also disco... tbh not my thing (and I fuckin KNEW that one song was them, I just couldn't remember the name) altho I did think the lil black sabbath tribute was cool. 3/5.

Gav jag 3 till Adele är inte detta mer än 2…

Tell me the whole album is as good as Lovefool. No? That’s disappointing.

For the first time ever, I was struck by the similarity between this album and Casanova, two Britpop adjacent records from 1996 influenced more by European pop than their contemporaries. This comes right down to the easy listening versions of rock songs - although Hannon tended toward college rock like Throwing Muses and Pixies. But the arrangements generally have the same smooth cleverness without ever being smug. Or too smug. There is occasionally an acceptable level of smug. But Nina Persson - name checked on a later Divine Comedy album - is much more grounded than Hannon, despite the title of her record. She presents street smarts rather than booksmarts and, unlike Hannon, she sings of things that sound like actual relationships, rather than relationships cribbed from literature and film. But her thin, cutesy voice doesn't have any of the emotional depth of his. It becomes tiring pretty quickly. However, the emotional (and literal depth) of Hannon's voice is so important in counterbalancing the smoothness, easiness, and smugness. Even on Casanova, his most cynically pop album. Persson and her band, by comparison, offer only empty irony. Although, surprisingly, her voice will sound much more human on the following Cardigans albums, the ones where they play Americana for some reason. Still, even there, she lacks the honest presence of Mark Linkous, her later collaborator in the same style. 2.5 Nina Persson’s relentless cooing, cutesy, submissive burlesque act grates over the course of an album. Chiefly this is because there is so little else of interest going on. The band are good, but they submit themselves too and without Persson’s sense of irony - the arrangements are detailed but tidy to the point of sterility. No one lashes out. Although I can think of Great Escape era Blur, for example, when I listen to First Band on the Moon - there is nothing like the grab for your attention made by Graham Coxon’s guitar lines. There is too much submission; too much conformity. Too much palpable contentment with the pop formula. For this reason, their version of Iron Man fails - it’s just not funny. 2/5

Den iron man versjonen burde ikkje vore lov.

Einig i det som er sagt. Mykje (dårleg) stil, lite innhald. Irriterande nittitals kafèmusikk. Synst dei vart eit mykje betre band på dei to neste platene, som eg høyrde ein del på i si tid.

Lite engasjerende greier. Liker bedre platene som kom etterpå. Helt i utakt med salgsgrafene, altså.

The Cardigans - First Band on the Moon Ja vel, så denne plata høyrer heime her altså? Det syns ikkje eg. “Lovefool” er i mine øyrer ein av dei mest irriterande hittane frå 90-talet og er vel grunnen til at eg aldri har høyrt heilt plata. For det første er eg overraska over kor ofte det smakar bade disco og lounge/bossanova av denne musikken. For det andre hadde eg aldri trudd at Nina Persson over ei heilt plate skulle bli så irriterande å høyre på. For det tredje må eg sei at det Black Sabbath-coveren er heilt hinsides jævlig. Eg trur det er noko med den sofistiker-og-søtt-på-eing-gong-greia eg slit med. Nei, veit de kva… The Cardigans suger. 3/10

I’m so tempted to give this one star for that awful Iron Man cover alone. But that travesty aside, this is soothing mediocre pop rock, which I could see growing on me after a few more listens. For now, this only had two standouts, and no, one of them isn’t Lovefool, which I’m frankly sick of at this point. 2.5 Top tracks: Step On Me, Great Divide

Everyone has heard Lovefool on the radio and it's certainly a catchy song, though it was never personally strong enough for me to explore their catalog further. I was interested to hear if they had more to deliver beyond that one hit. Unfortunately, the answer was pretty much no. There were aspects of this I liked, no doubt, such as the throwback feel to a good amount of their songs. That said, a lot of this was like Lovefool, but with worse song construction. More to the point, the tracks were generally too airy for me, lacking some depth that I would have otherwise hoped for. It wasn't an album that I hated, there just wasn't much to grab onto.

É só o classico

Lovefool makes the album. It is 3 minutes of musical perfection, very catchy, beautiful vocals, if you don't enjoy it then you have a problem. The rest of the album was very nondescript, nothing stood out at all. It was bland. Unfortunately, one track does not an album make. I feel like I had to endure the other tracks to hear Lovefool so it's only 2 stars for me.

Not a big fan of this album. It's fairly boring. Lovefool is great though. Maybe I should listen to them more, maybe never again. We'll see.

This really grated on me, which is odd because I like another of their albums. I didn't finish this one

I've enjoyed some The Cardigans in the past, but this is bad out of the gate. Hopefully it gets better as we go. 6 songs in and I'm pretty sure I hate this. Step on me has some moments, but they come halfway through the song. Lovefool is next up, it is the one that is supposed to be the hit. Ah yes, I remember this one now, definitely a step above. Still bubblegum pop, so nothing amazing. You would think that the remake of Iron Man, along with with other verses around the album referencing Sabbath songs would intrigue someone that loves Sabbath as much as I do. They did fully make it their own, so you have to give them that. When the album was over, I was glad.

Meh. I tried playing this for my wife, who is noise-averse and more pop-oriented, and she concurred with the "meh." So, it's not just me.

The bans is pretty skilled and they try a range of things, but it doesn't move me. I don't like her voice, and the singles that sort of blend disco elements with bubblegum are not my scene.

2/5 - I was hoping this would be worth digging into given the quality of the hit, Lovefool, but it was kind of a snoozer.

A pretty lead singer with a soft, one dimensional tone. Each song seemed the same in melody, timing, inflection. Harmonies or backup singing would offer variety and more. It wasn't bad but a whole album was more than I was interested in listening to.

I'm really not into her voice.

Ok 2/5

Nearly 1100 albums is a LOT! On a list like that, there is going to be a lot of forgettable filler that has people shrugging their shoulders and saying, "I suppose there's nothing really WRONG with this?" This feels like a truly niche group that has somehow managed to make it onto a list that has completely excluded all of the works by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Warren Zevon. I;m not seeing anything but virtual randomness in that.

Sin más

This album did not age well...

Nah

not for me sadly.... 5 stars for lovefool

Fint men forglemmeligt pop fra en forglemmelig periode. Et helt vildt sløjt cover af Iron Man kan dog ikke andet end at trække minimum én stjerne ned. Anede ikke, at det var dem, der havde lavet "Lovefool", hvilket må siges at være en evergreen. Ikke nødvendigvis en god én, men en evergreen. Albummet er glemt igen om 1-2 dage. 2.4

Okay, men også bare lidt intetsigende og ikke min kop the

it's alright I actually had a few songs from this album on my playlist already, but its still not really my taste

I thought that the production was pretty good in parts, and some of the songs were interesting. But, I found long swaths of this record quite annoying. Not terrible, but not what I would call essential.

One hit, the rest is boring Pop.

I'd only heard Lovefool before and I kinda wish we'd left it at that. The rest of the album is...weird. They were really a one hit wonder here, but it sounds like they were very successful outside the U.S.

It was fine. Inoffensive almost elevator music. Knew 1 song which was popular in the 90s. Bit too slow and non exciting for me. 2/5

There's some nice guitar work on this album, but my god, does her voice grate after awhile. It was harder to listen to the longer it went on.

The smooth as silk cover of “Ironman” kicks ass and “Lovefool” is a childhood classic, but overall this didn’t hit. Perhaps it’s too twee for me? Idk should have been better, but it wasn’t :/.

Her voice is obviously sweet and has a lovely tone. However without any substance behind Cardigans are best when playing riffs and adding something extra to the background but on this it is a little weak to be honest even Love Fool is kinda annoying and seems pointless however it is the standout track.

Some reasonable songs (particularly Lovefool) but overall it’s not that great.

Bit bit too poppy for me.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this album, but it was fine. Power pop isn't really my favorite type of music, but it had some songs that were fine, but I actually didn't care for the Iron Man cover. I've heard Lovefool a lot, and that song is catchy, but I don't think I need to listen to this album again.

This was fine but not special.

It was perfectly fine but totally inessential.

Disappointing lack of 90s indie gems (e.g. Carnival). Fine enough

Not an album I’ve heard previously and not one I’ll be listening to again, but nice enough in parts and two stars for there being at least a couple of songs better than the single, although these may have been released as singles too I suppose, who knows/cares? Tom.

Only a couple of songs and some interesting instrumentation keep this from being a one-star. It was a hard listen. Cardigans have such strong songs; this is insubstantial, bordering on irritating (her thin, twee voice and terrible rhymes). Maybe it was of an era. If I'd bought this instead of Frenté (same-same) I'd probably have loved it. Tried.

This was a good listen and I believe it is a necessary inclusion as not many female-fronted bands appear in such a list. It reminded me in some of the arrangements to other artists such as Shiina Ringo and Weyes Blood. While it is not an otherworldy record, it feels like a landmark moment somehow. Extra point for not being from the UK. 7/10 [KEEP]

That filtered fake old timey vocal effect gets pretty annoying fast. I suppose on this album they were the band to make the whole 90s Easy Listening fad really pay off as a group with (mostly) original songs. Personally I find it all a bit too contrived, bland and boring.

4/10

Whole album of earnest twee crap built around worldwide megahit that seems out of place and is now sickening beyond the first chord

I’m sure I’m going to say this a lot as we move forward, but how on earth is this on a best of anything list? A bunch of forgettable songs with no real discernible style, other than ‘not very good’ and horrible over-bright production. At its worst when it verges into an odd Stereolab-ey psych sort of thing.

I don’t have a copy of the book this 1001 Albums list is based on, so this is speculation, but I imagine it went something like this: a guy had an idea of writing a book about a thousand and one albums that anyone who cares about music absolutely needs to hear. And so this guy started brainstorming albums, he had some friends around and they named albums released throughout the decades, they had heated debates on the merits of them. And at a certain point it fizzled out and they just started naming things to get to that 1001. Because I don’t really see why this album is worth listening to. The Cardigans had one mega hit from First Band on the Moon, and the rest of the album isn’t bad, The Cardigans are fundamentally not a bad band, but they aren’t anything special either. The biggest takeaway from listening to this, particularly as it sometimes veers into that lounge-adjacent thing that had a moment in the 90s, is that Stereolab did that thing WAY better and I’d rather be listening to them.

So many good indie pop records out there. No idea why this mediocre, insignificant album is on the list.

Another band I know well, but the album here isn't the album I would have put here.

**An ok album

Why would anyone whose been in a drugstore in the last 30 years choose to listen to "Lovefool" on purpose? It will be on next time you need Valentines candy or a phone charger.

I found this album uninteresting but benign then I got to the cover of Iron Man which is malignant. The little girl sings pop vocals get a bit jarring by then and that song is just so bad.

Woof what a boring album. That Iron Mam cover can't be serious.

No está mal

A very distinctive sound. Enjoyed listening to this album.

Not my cup of tea.

Couldn't get into it

Whatever man

Not a fan of the Iron Man cover & in general just not a fan of the lead singer's voice it's a bit too breathy for me.

Very smooth and catchy tunes, the album flows very easily but the singer's voice starts to be redundant and annoying in the end. Of course one huge hit that gives it more rythm but it's also not my style ... Cover : Like the font and style, not very original though !

This was fine but it didn’t do much for me

I hated this band as a teenager when it came out and this album isn't my cup of tea at all. But being older and wiser, I can kind of appreciate the humour in it a bit more. It's still a 2 because it kind of annoys me musically, really jars to listen into if you are just not into whimsical stuff. The Cardigans have at least two 4 star albums (long gone and Gran Turismo are excellent) but I just don't get early Cardigans stuff.

Kind of whiny, but was she prescient about "I am Ironman"?

No llegue

This is incredibly forgettable, generic 90's pop.

Gran Turismo has everything I like about the Cardigans on it, this one had everything I dislike. There's cool influences here, the album sounds almost Jazz-esque at times. It's fucking boring though. The vocals can put me to sleep and the gentle way in which the entire album plays out doesn't help. The Iron Man cover is a fun gimmick and all I'll probably revisit here.

It is objectively not a bad album but it just isn't for me. 2/5.

Este sí que fue su mejor disco, la fama les llegó después pero aquí estaban al nivel de los mejores Cranberries o Saint Etiene (estilos muy diferentes tanto los ingleses como los irlandeses pero con algo en común). Luego ya con el siguiente Gran turismo y sobre todo con My favourite game terminaron por arrasar, pero el bueno es este. Los anteriores no son malos ni mucho menos. De aquí, Lovefool fue su tema más conocido, peor hay mucho más (sin llegar a este nivel). Con Nina Persson como mascarón de proa. Ya desde Your new cuckoo que podrían firmar Club 8 o cualquier grupo de sellos como Sincerely Yours o Labrador. Been it ya muestra un sonido más duro que su anterior Emmerdale pero lo que nadie podía sospechar es que incluyeran una versión de Black Sabbath y además salieran airosos: Iron man , nada menos que de Paranoid. Cierto es que Svensson y Seveningsson venían del hardocore. Heartbreaker incluye citas a estos padrinos del heavy, si bien el tono es mucho más reposado. Gran contraste. Losers es otro gran tema, a medio camino entre la balada clásica y el pop. Camino que sigue en otra de las puntas del disco: Great divide, más tirando hacia el clásico que hacia el pop inane. Choke es un tema que resume perfectamente el sonido del disco: pop, bien compuesto e interpretado, con una base con mayor chicha de la que parece y sobre todo tarareable. Gran disco.

Its ok. Its not horrible. Just a bit bland and twee. And I really hate their cover of Iron Man which cost them a point. Not my thing and if anything it irritated me. 2/5.

Not a fan of the vocals or the 90s indie rock.

The Cardigans were always a little too nice for me. I prefer music to be slightly nasty, music you wouldn't strike up convo with in a pub. These guys would be among your best friends after one friendly chat. It's not bad, there are a ocuple of wonderful tracks, it just doesn't really stir any depth of feeling beyond the pleasant smile on the surface.

This isn’t great. The vocals become really irritating after a few songs and musically, there isn’t much going on here. Everybody knows “Lovefool”; I remember thinking it was nothing special when it came out and it hasn’t aged well. There is not a single song which stands out and deserves to make my library.

So-so indie pop that occasionally tries to become the worst heavy metal you’ve ever heard (I swear, something must have been in the air in Scandinavia in the 90’s that just compelled all of them to take a crack at metal). Still trying to decipher whether or not the vocals are bad, or if they just aren’t utilized as well as they could be.

The cover of "Iron Man" included on this album is a crime against humanity.

So painfully average. Fluff. Sugary pop with guitars.

Meh

Could not get into this. Lovefool is obviously a banger but the rest of this album is pretty annoying with the exception of the trip hop Iron Man cover. Lastly, I do appreciate the flute appearing here and there on songs as well, but not enough to get anything more than a (2).

Överlag drar Cardigans de 60-talasdofande easy listening-pastischerna för långt. Resultatet blir elva rätt platta och intetsägande låtar. Möjligen Sabbath-covern Iron man och No recover undantagna. Nina Persson låter också otroligt blasé och oengagerad. Säkert ett stilgrepp, men det blir mest tråkigt. I min bok är debuten Emmerdale bättre, med starkare melodier och mer värme.

Opening track exactly as I would expect from The Cardigans. Nothing special. Fairly insipid second track. By the time we get to Heartbreaker her voice / vocal style is getting on my nerves. Never Recover was ok with an increased pace. But then Step On Me was just poor. The single is an ok pop song. Don’t see this as anything other than average. 2.49. Didn’t know there was a Black Sabbath cover involved.

It’s like Sims 2 university band music, only ruined with English lyrics.

This occassionally rises to acceptable.

voice is killing me man

This was fine, I guess. I got a little tired of her voice. Not for me.

I don't find her voice too pleasing. Some of the songs had me tapping my toes.

Perfectly fine

Well that was kind of annoying.

Perfectly acceptable pop rock. Unobtrusive and as a result, quite bland. Nothing here that is earth shattering. Not that there needs to be. Nice reference to Black Sabbath in Heartbreaker. Not sure about their Iron Man cover though. Lovefool is obviously the standout track.

Unremarkable apparently bc I listen to it but don’t remember it at all

Njen glas mi je vsec ampak cek cas k sm poslusala mi je slo mal na zivce vse skupi, vrjetno je blo sam pac tako jutro

Enkele nummers wel chill, maar als heel album niet zo leuk.

Pleasant enough pop, nothing particularly interesting about it. There is a cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man so I'm sticking it out to hear that

One hit wonder album 🤷

Nothing too interesting.

One hit wonder. 2.5

It's got a very 90s sound. Less grunge more female constrained noise. Unlike the Alanis Morissette or Jewel purpose which was more feminist power this is more soft touch female. Which, fair, but if we're doing soft touch female voice, give me the spark that other artists brought forward over demure female.

Spent the first six songs of this album being that annoying guy at the gig who keeps shouting for them to play the hit. Lovefool is still a banger, but nothing else memorable here

That voice sounds too much like a 10 year old

Completely forgettable and uninspired, but not complete trash

This was a slog. Dreamy and pleasant and an aptly named band giving me tooth-decay. Definitely well played, with some interesting stuff happening musically, but ultimately elevated candy sweet pop is still candy sweet. Lovefool is a real earworm but Iron Man sucks, so they cancel each other out. Can't cosign this.

Are they Swedish??? Not as banging as Gran Turismo

Inoffensive pop. Nothing wrong with it, but for me it just lands with no more weight than 'meh.' Now, that cover of Iron Man, well that was different and unexpected, not great, but different and unexpected . . .'oh, Iron Man.' I like Huh better than Meh, so that earned an extra star.

Trying to be cutesy with the baby voice singing, instead it was mostly an empty experience

I didn’t know the name of the song Lovefool and I didn’t and I certainly didn’t know that it was from this band so that’s cool… It is a very slow paced I like the instrumental way more than the singing style and I don’t really get the lyrics The coolest thing is, if you listen to the whole album, you notice the transitions between songs and it gives a very modern feel

dat mens kan een stukje zagen...

Bleh. It was ok, and it was perhaps better than expected, but wouldn’t go as far to say I enjoyed it.

There were glimmers of hope but actually simply I didnt enjoy this. I tried, I listened carefully and the package is just dull in the end. Can I just not explain myself and move on I just dont want to invest in this.

Off to a bad start when the first track sounded exactly like the music from The Sims setup menu. The album then settled into some more traditional pop-rock sounds, albeit with some pretty sickly sweet vocals. That pretty much sums up the whole album, pretty middling pop rock with some eventually quite grating Disney princess vocals. It has one single, 'Lovefool', which I remember being in the charts and I suspect this is another example of an album making the list on the basis of one hit song. The best track on the album is actually a low-fi Black Sabbath cover that was surprisingly enjoyable. Not terrible, just a mediocre album that wouldn't be notable if it was made in any other decade but the nineties, a decade where we seem to have collectively abandoned musical taste.

Dosadnjikav album, iako mi nisu oni generalno loši. Očekivala sam više, nisam slušala album u komadu dosad. 2/5, 4/10

Really far too twee for me.

Eh...

Generic 90s pop. Propped up by a genuine classic surrounded by dull pop rock. That Iron Man cover is awful.

Painful to listen to

Maybe it will get better with to

The baby voice gets grating after a while, and love fool sounds out of place on this otherwise bizarre record

Until 'Step on me' nothing had really grabbed me, only reminding me of how the psychedelic 60s were revisited in the 90s. Peaked with 'Lovefool'.

Nice enough. Lovefool is a great track, but other than that most of the album lacked oomph.

Ok

Probably better suited for their hits rather than full length albums

Pleasant enough, but outside of Lovefool, it doesn't do much for me.

Stimme war mir zu arg

4/10… Pop Rock/ *1996

I knew1 song the rest wasn’t good. High pitched out of key singing

Each song very samey...

Fun falls flat

Bit of a nothing album built around one song that doesn’t really fit with the rest

Some interesting songs and might be a grower. But docked a star for the most criminal cover of a rock classic other than the Scissor Sisters' Comfortably Numb. What were they thinking?

I remember some of my fellow record store employees were absolutely gaga over this album. Years later, it's still just a little too cutesy for me.

I only know the one song from GTA V, but other than that album is pretty forgettable. For the exception of the Black Sabbath reference at the beginning, and then the full cover of Iron Man. Not sure why this band seems to be obsessed with Black Sabbath. I guess that just shows that Black Sabbath will always rule them all and no one will remember the Cardigans.

Kind of soppy sweet pop music. But maybe the most jarring cover I’ve ever heard. Hearing “I am Iron Man” by what sounds like a 12 year old girl huffing helium certainly caught my attention. Not sure whether to add a star or subtract one.

Really not into this one

The was pretty meh. Recognized the hit, but nothing else drew me in

It's giving 70s pop, but also 90s pop rock. Lovefool is from them? I always thought it was Gwen Stefani singing. Kinda meh. 2* Highlights: lovefool

Overproduced Synth/keyboard-drenched pop music with a wispy singer that gets annoying before the end of the record

oof, this is really annoying Best Song: Lovefool Rating: 4/10 Stars: 2

Fun

Meh.

Too saccharine for my tastes

One or two good songs. That's about it.

The worst cover of Iron Man ever! Wasn’t that bad until this abomination came.

This was very meh, apart from lovefool

Not really my jam.

Would give 2.5 if I could.

Mixed album here, some great tracks e.g. lovefool but possibly the worst cover of iron man I have heard and lots of stuff that just blended in. 2 or a 3 I was thinking and have gone for 2

Interesting that the rest of the album is a bit different than the One Hit this band is a wonder for. Her voice is great, but that's about it.

It's okay, but for me this band remains a one hit wonder. Not bad, just not great.