The Cardigans - Super Extra Gravity

What you get on Super Extra Gravity is just The Cardigans

The question sure to be asked about The Cardigans most recent effort, the neatly titled Super Extra Gravity, is if whether or not the little band from Sweden, that made some small splashes a time or two before, still has anything worthwhile to say? They’ve been treading the edge of indie rock, psychedelic pop, dark 90’s rock, and everything in between for over a decade now; so it’s almost expected to wonder as to what new trick will be pulled from the proverbial hat on this outing.

The answer? None, really.

What you get on Super Extra Gravity is just The Cardigans. Pure, and simple. This isn’t The Cardigans trying to be anything other than what they just are. At it’s heart, this is nothing more—and assuredly nothing less—than a talented band making the music that’s been inside them for years, and making it well outside of preconceived genres and public connotations of what they ‘should’ sound like.

The lovely lead singer Nina Persson does an absolutely stellar job on the vocal deliveries guiding these tracks, while carrying the group through a slightly gritty, dark indie pop amalgamation that, at times, can sound like the Smashing Pumpkins of the late 90’s, when they were right at the top of their game. Great tracks abound on this release, including (though definitely not limited to) the grey, barely synth-ed slow opener “Losing A Friend,” first single “I Need Some Fine Wine,” and album closer “And Then You Kissed Me II.” It’s easy to see that this record was a cohesive effort, and deserves to be heard as a whole, on a cool, rainy night—just to get the atmosphere right.

To put it simply: this entire album is positively grand, and I’ve honestly been kicking myself immensely that I let it sit on my desk for a little over a week before I had a chance to give it a spin. I’ve been listening to it religiously since, and would be easily willing to go out on a limb and call Super Extra Gravity one of the strongest releases of this band’s catalogue.

(Nettwerk)