The Cardigans: Gran Turismo

Cute as a button and twice as shiny, The Cardigans came roaring out of Sweden in the mid-'90s, briefly taking radio by the throat with the ubiquitous 1996 hit "Lovefool." First Band On The Moon, the album accompanying that single, proved that there was more to the group than one ridiculously catchy song. A winning collection of pop songs more varied than "Lovefool" indicated, the album suggested that The Cardigans could do for Swedish pop in the '90s what Abba did in the '70s. Perhaps tired of such comparisons—although anyone who's taken the time to examine just how well-crafted Abba's music was knows there's no real shame in them—Gran Turismo is The Cardigans' stab at darkness and meaningfulness. That sounds a little strange coming from a group that was once a pretty strong contender for the title of Most Endearing Little Band On Earth. Predictably for any dance-music-savvy act with a female singer circa 1998, this comes in the form of a trip-hop-inspired album. Gran Turismo's hushed, studio-crafted atmospherics don't always play to The Cardigans' strengths, just as the standard loungey trip-hop monotone adopted by singer Nina Persson doesn't always play to hers. Songs like "Hanging Around," for instance, progress nicely toward hooks that never appear. But, canned beats and all, "Higher" is lovely, and "Erase/Rewind," "Starter," and "My Favorite Game" are each pleasant. But why follow a great pop album that stood out because it sounded like nothing else on the radio with an okay album that sounds like the obvious product of anyone who's listened to Portishead or Garbage a few times too many