Erase and rewind, ’cause I’ve been changing my mind

The Cardigans: Gran Turismo

The Cardigans were never really as cutesy and cheerful as their image had to this point painted them, but rather using the adorable girlishness of Nina Persson and a classic 60s Swedish pop sound to contrast their often darker messages. With Gran Turismo they dropped all pretense of bubbly, warm cheer and unleashed a darker strain in their music. Nina’s voice dropped its childlike trill for a more lived-in tone and the songs were given a dark, shiny industrial polish. ‘This is where your sanity gives in,’ after a thirty second lead-in of ominous noise, and when the guitars kick in, they’re grubby and fractured.

As a change, it was perhaps necessary. Diminishing returns had reared their head on First Band on the Moon, despite its smash hit status. With their newfound mainstream success, they were free to run with it into new territory to see who would follow. The darker, electronic sound serves them rather well in places, particularly on the bristling, low groove of “Erase/Rewind” and the more ecstatic “My Favourite Game” (which provided them with another big hit). The more ragged guitar sound is also used to good contrast with Nina’s voice on “Starter” and “Marvel Hill” in its jagged disharmony. While the album does lack some of the subtlety and ironic humour of their prior work, it is also a little less precious and twee, which works very much in its favour. The only real trouble is that a handful of the songs here feel so heaped upon with exhaustion (especially “Higher”) that this sleek new ride seems to scrape the pavement.

***1/2

~ by jshopa on August 26, 2008.