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The Cardigans




  Img TheCardigansjpg
  Img Capt The Cardigans performing in September 2006
  Landscape yes
  Background group_or_band
  Origin Jönköping , Småland , Sweden
  Genre Indie Pop , Alternative Rock
  Years Active 1992 –present
  Label MCA , Mercury , Stockholm , Universal
  URL http://wwwcardiganscom/
  Current Members Lars-Olof Johansson - Keyboards and Guitar <br> Peter Svensson - Lead Guitar <br> Bengt Lagerberg - Drums <br> Nina Persson - Vocals <br> Magnus Sveningsson - Bass


The Cardigans are a Swedish band formed in the town of Jönköping in 1992. The band's musical style has varied greatly from album to album and encompasses their early Indie leanings passing through '60s-inspired Pop and more band-based Rock .

Their debut album '' Emmerdale '' (1994) gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan . But it wasn't until their breakthrough second album '' Life '' (1995) that international audiences and critics responded. The band is perhaps best known outside of Sweden for their international hit singles "Erase/Rewind" and "My Favourite Game" from the album '' Gran Turismo '' (1998) and " Lovefool " from the album '' First Band On The Moon '' (1996). Its inclusion in the soundtrack of '' William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet '' by director Baz Luhrmann secured their popularity.


HISTORY

Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson , both Heavy Metal musicians, formed the group in October of 1992 in Jönköping , Sweden , with drummer Bengt Lagerberg , keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson . Living together in a small apartment, The Cardigans recorded a Demo Tape which Record Producer Tore Johansson heard, leading to an invitation to record at a studio in Malmö . In 1994 they released their debut album '' Emmerdale '' in Sweden and Japan (it was re-released internationally in 1997). The album includes the Swedish radio hit "Rise & Shine" and was later voted the best of 1994 in a poll in '' Slitz '' magazine.

The rest of 1994 was spent touring Europe and recording '' Life '', which was released worldwide in 1995. ''Life'' became an international success, selling more than a million copies and achieving Platinum Status in Japan. In 1996 ''Life'' was released under the label Minty Fresh in the U.S. , but this release was essentially a compilation of tracks from ''Emmerdale'' and ''Life''. ''Life'' was perhaps a satirical riposte to the first album, and saw the band move in a more avant-garde direction in terms of arrangements and artwork.

After their success with ''Life'', The Cardigans signed to Mercury Records , under which they released '' First Band On The Moon '' worldwide in 1996. With this album, the band had developed into a more complex, darker animal, the songs included themes of heartbreak, infidelity and despair. " Lovefool " was a hit across the globe, especially in the United States and again in Japan, where the album reached platinum in only three weeks. However, it was unrepresentative of the album as a whole and, although it helped it achieve Gold Sales Status in America, many critics branded them saccharine soft-pop on the basis of "Lovefool". The song was shown on MTV in the late 90s as a music video with clips from the 1996 hit film '' Romeo + Juliet '' starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes .

1998's ''''.

During the break that followed, Nina Persson released an album as A Camp and the Cardigans recorded a duet cover of Talking Heads ' "Burning Down the House" with Tom Jones on his album '' Reload '', Peter Svensson worked on the project Paus with help from Joakim Berg from Kent , and Magnus Sveningsson recorded as Righteous Boy . The Cardigans returned in 2003 with '' Long Gone Before Daylight '', a quieter, more ambient collection of songs mainly written by Nina Persson and Peter Svensson. '' Long Gone Before Daylight '' became one of the best selling album in Sweden of 2003 with sales over 120, 000 (2xPlatinum).

On October 19 2005 the band released their sixth album '' Super Extra Gravity '' which was released to major critical acclaim. '' Super Extra Gravity '' went straight to the #1 spot on the Swedish album chart and has so far been certified Gold (sales over 40,000).

In November 2006 Nina Persson featured on '' The Cake Sale '', an album set up by Oxfam Ireland . It contains 9 tracks from some of Ireland's leading artists. Proceeds from the album go to the Fair Trade campaign. The album is only available in the Republic of Ireland.


RECENT EVENTS

Nina appeared on the 2007 to perform the song live.

The recording of the band's seventh album has been postponed until 2008, according to bassist Magnus Sveningsson . During the break in 2007, Nina is recording the second A Camp album while a Best Of compilation album is scheduled for release on 05/11/2007 [http://www.cdalbumworld.com/newukalbumreleases.htm .


DISCOGRAPHY


Studio albums

  • '' Emmerdale ''
    ( 1994 )
    Stockholm Records
    '''#29''' SWE
    (re-released in the U.S. in 1999)

  • '' Life ''
    ( 1995 )
    Stockholm Records
    '''#20''' SWE, '''#51''' UK
    (re-released in the U.S. in 1996)

  • '' First Band On The Moon ''
    ( 1996 )
    Stockholm Records
    '''#2''' SWE, '''#18''' UK, '''#35''' US

  • '' Gran Turismo ''
    ( 1998 )
    Stockholm Records
    '''#2''' DK, '''#1''' SWE, '''#8''' UK, '''#151''' US

  • '' Long Gone Before Daylight ''
    ( 2003 )
    Stockholm Records
    '''#1''' SWE, '''#47''' UK
    (released in the U.S. in 2004 with the addition of three bonus tracks)

  • '' Super Extra Gravity ''
    ( 2005 )
    Stockholm Records
    '''#1''' SWE, '''#78''' UK



Compilations



Digital albums



Singles



IN THE MEDIA

  • ''Lovefool'' was sung by two characters in an episode of the US television comedy The Office .




SEE ALSO

List Of HFStival Acts


EXTERNAL LINKS AND REFERENCES