The Cardigans
Super Extra Gravity

THE REVIEW

What a pleasant discovery, a breath of fresh air, simple rock 'n' roll, old and always good rock; after the easier pop glamor of "Gran Turismo", now released way back in 1998, and the richness of an album that was very underrated and overlooked, but simply magnificent like "Long Before Daylight", this fascinating and, I must say, very intriguing Swedish group returns, now far from the easy flirtations of "Emmerdale" or the hit "Love Fool".

I was saying the prevailing sensation when listening to this work is the freshness, the immediacy of certain compositions is not entirely sacrificed for more refined sounds as in the previous album, an effort has been made to make the work more fluid and suitable for simpler tastes, that cannot afford to get lost in Persson's lyrics or in the slowness of Svensson's acoustic guitar. The result is pleasing right from the start with Persson's beautiful voice putting the listener at ease in "Losing A Friend", a track that combines a typically '60s organ with a guitar solo directly from the '70s, all masterfully packaged by a production that doesn't suffocate the song and lets it breathe until the magnificent final part. The major tracks are all characterized by a more rock and raw melodic choice, which at the same time still maintains the taste for the clarity and cleanliness of melodies typical of the Cardigans, very successful tracks in this regard are "Drip Drop Teardrop" and "Godspell". Calmer atmospheres come instead from "Overload", a magnificent track, "Little Black Cloud" and from the ballad "Good Morning Joan", highlighting the lyrics, very ironic but sharp like in "Good Morning Joan" and in "Losing A Friend" of Persson.
Definitely worth mentioning is "Don't Blame Your Daughter", a remarkable song released as the second single that pushed me to purchase the album.

An album that opens a new path for these talented Swedes, they have been on stage for more than a decade but they still have some shots left in the barrel and judging by the last two works, we can expect something interesting in the future.