Nothing good ever came out of Sweden, to which the resounding cry of, ‘Abba’ hails forth in angelic proclamation from the heavenly hosts of your ancestors. That said, you would be a (love) fool to limit a proclivity for instrumental and vocal polska music to the likes of Agnetha, Bjorn and the other two. Roxette taught us a great deal about listening to the heart, and lest we forget Ace of Base who overcame all the odds when they released a Greatest Hits.Unlike their sartorial namesake, there’s nothing woolly about The Cardigans, despite a first album entitled Emmerdale. With a further five albums behind them, the time was ripe for harvesting the lucrative fruits with a Best Of, what proved to be a nebulous attempt at assembling their hits on a double disc of 21 singles, with a further 24 variants on a theme. This is saccharine pop at its sweetest, with sufficient lyrical profundity and instrumental dexterity to shield it from sheer maudlin one-dimensionality. Lead singer Nina Persson’s voice is comparable to Chrissie Hynde or Deborah Harry, an allusion extended by the dirty blonde tresses, side-ways glances and on-beat shoulder jerks. Like Harry and Hynde, Persson has cultivated a voice to match her cool exterior, one of limited fluctuation, always erring on the minor; diffident, to the degree that in the languorous wake of such songs as ‘Erase/Rewind’ one is left with an overwhelming sense of boredom, specifically her own.That is the unfortunate truth about The Cardigans – they are a little dull, or certainly this medley would have you believe. Fifth album, Long Gone Before Daylight, features only 3 tracks on the Best Of, of which ‘And then you kissed me’ is a strange, and sad, omission. Good value, if you like that sort of thing.
Three stars.
– By Joanna Clegg
Album Review: The Cardigans – Best Of
