• Voto:
Dopo una parentesi adolescenziale dedicata alla musica heavy metal, il chitarrista e songwriter Peter Svensson e il bassista Magnus Sveningsson, ispirati dal pop inglese, decidono di dare una svolta alla propria carriera e assoldano il tastierista Lasse Johansson, il batterista Bengt Lagenberg e la timida cantante Nina Persson (che si presenta al provino chiedendo di cantare da sola, con i membri della band fuori dalla stanza ad ascoltare) per dare vita ai Cardigans.
Il loro album d'esordio "Emmerdale" del 1994 spalanca le porte l'anno successivo all'ottimo successo discografico (planetario) di "Life", di matrice sorniona, elegante e poppeggiante. Atmosfere soft per un contorno di tastiere eleganti e melodie orecchiabili. Leggero, amichevole, a tratti si stacca dal pop e diventa funky, si perde in sonorità anni 60, ricorda strumentazioni alla Beach Boys, ma è un suono completo e ben strutturato e la vocina della cantante è davvero carezzevole.
Un viaggio nel nouvo pop svedese, di cui sono stati simbolo per la seconda metà degli anni novanta, se vogliamo confermandosi ed evolvendosi con matrici più oscure (e personali) nell'album successivo "Gran Turismo" di gran lunga più rokkettaro-dark ed aggressivo. In "life", la cui patinata copertina mette in mostra la graziosa cantante, si gioca e si scherza. Ha un sound allegro, estivo, spassoso e frizzante. Inevitabile, sul rintocco delle tastiere hammond e le schitarrate funky, il flauteggiare sinuoso, non percepire delle sonorità passate e malinconiche. Piacevole ed unico.
"Carnival", il singolo che apre l'album, ha venduto tantissimo anche in Giappone. Da ascoltare la tastiera hammon, le percussioni tintinnanti e l'arrangiamento poppeggiante un suono che difficilmente è stato usato negli anni '90. Validissima anche "Daddy's Car" (traccia 3) le cui schitarrate pulite e sincere si fondono bene col tema ludico del pezzo. Brillante "Sick and Tired", la cui struttura allegra e scanzonata si sposta su un pop-rock molto masticabile. L'album rimane su buoni standard anche nelle tracce "Tomorrow" e "Rise and shine", mantenendo le sonorità e il mood fino a qui incontrato, per aprire al lentone "Beautiful One". Curiosa e noir "travelling with Charley". Dolcissima e romantica "Celia Inside" è forse il pezzo più carezzevole e malinconico dell'album, quasi una ninnananna.
Insomma, bravi davvero. Un album apprezzabilissimo, in cui il gruppo si mette alla ricerca di un sound pop, con venature funky e pop-rock, riscoprendo dei suoni anni 60 e 70, trasmettendo un'immagine pulita, fresca e sobria di un pop-rock davvero molto fruibile. Della Band, questo rimarrà un album unico per stile mood e riconoscibilità.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Carnival (03:37)
I will never know
cause you will never show
come on and love me now
come on and love me now
I will never know
cause you will never show
come on and love me now
come on and love me now
come on and love me now
Carnival came by my town today
bright lights from giantwheel
fall on the alleyways
and I'm here
by my door
waiting for you
I will never know
cause you will never show
come on and love me now
come on and love me now
I will never know
cause you will never show
come on and love me now
come on and love me now
come on and love me now
I hear sounds of lovers
barrel organs, mothers
I would like to take you
down there
just to make you mine
in a merry-go-round
I will never know
cause you will never show
come on and love me now
come on and love me now
02 Gordon's Gardenparty (03:22)
Words: Persson, Svensson
Music: Svensson
You in brown checked suit
said my dress was very cute
I found you found me
dancing in this melody
Heavenly!
We were swinging on so nice
bubbly pink champagne on ice
Nancy, Jacques Closeau and Claire
I believe they all were there
Having the time of their lives
You had Rose's lime
mixed with vodka, I had wine
People having fun
cocktails in the evening sun
Give me one!
We were swinging on so nice
bubbly pink champagne on ice
Nancy, Jacques Closeau and Claire
I believe they all were there
Having the time of their lives
La la la do de do de do
03 Daddy's Car (03:35)
Words: Sveningsson, Lagerberg
Music: Svensson
We took off that sunny day
packed our things and went away
me and friends in daddy's car
to find out how summers are
found a card to send from wherever we went
From Luxembourg to Rome
from Berlin to the moon
from Paris to Lausanne
from Athens to the sun
our car became a spacecraft
flashing through the world
crashed down in Amsterdam
We'll take off some rainy day
pack our things and go away
families and hotelbars
to find out how summers are
find a card to send to some really old friends
From Luxembourg to Rome
from Berlin to the moon
from Paris to Lausanne
from Athens to the sun
our car became a spacecraft
flashing through the world
crashed down in Amsterdam
04 Pikebubbles (03:02)
My dad, the best dad that I've had
don't care about nothing
he's not even working
he's not only my dad
the best friend that I've had
don't think he's a mad dad
His dad, is sleeping with boots on
it makes me start wonder
cause there is no thunder
according to my dad
don't think he's a mad dad
it's only some tigers he has got in our shed
My dad, the best dad that I've had
lies under the table
he's wearing his bathrobe
he's listening to lovesongs
His dad won't go to the woodshed
thinks bugs will attack him
according to my dad
it's only some tigers he has got in our shed
05 Tomorrow (03:05)
Words: Sveningsson
Music: Svensson
Someone's thinking of her
a fifteen hour trip away
life is so much slower
than a charter trip delay
Tomorrow, she won't feel half of this
Tomorrow morning is a sugar kiss
Tomorrow, heavenly no sorrow
she will lose gravity
Tomorrow...
Someone's thinking of the her
trough the hazy scenery
life is blue as water
when you're missing somebody
Tomorrow, she won't feel half of this
Tomorrow morning is a sugar kiss
Tomorrow, heavenly no sorrow
she will lose gravity
Tomorrow...
06 Beautiful One (03:28)
Words: Sveningsson
Music: Svensson
Rise in the morning,
Shine 'til the dawning.
Smooth dreams in leaves
raised in teacup
Sticked down to sleep
like an envelope
filled up with words for you
Wrapped up in curls
sweet as the summer
cheek soft as a fur
grace in a slumber
beautiful wonderboy
Soft beams from an early sun
on my truly beautiful one
shimmer from a Saturday sun
on my truly beautiful one
rise in the morning
shine 'til the dawning
Right up from sleep,
Lost in the blankets.
Tasting like salt.
Roses an' candy bars,
Coffee an' oval cigars.
Stretched out to breathe
down from the rooftops
sticked down to sleep
like an envelope
filled up with words for you
Soft beams from an early sun,
on my truly beautiful one.
Shimmer from a Saturday sun,
on my truly beautiful one.
Rise in the morning,
beautiful wonderboy.
07 Travelling With Charley (04:11)
Words: Sveningsson, Svensson
Music: Svensson
Once he gets a mystic call
jump into his motorcar
Once we're rolling down the road
he's forgotten where to go
Travelling with Charley
my detective darling
My agent hasn't solved a case
My agent never finds a trace
but Charley has always style
Charley is always nice
poor Charley
He would be nothing without me
Once I clear his memory
but he'll crash into a tree
Once we're getting to the place
someone else has solved the case
Travelling with Charley
my detective darling
My agent hasn't solved a case
My agent never finds a trace
but Charley has always style
Charley is always nice
poor Charley
He would be nothing without me
But I do love him
08 Fine (03:10)
Words: Sveningsson
Music: Svensson
Upon a roof below the moon
nearby a park-bench in the sun
upon the stairway to your room
Why won't you wrap your life around
those certain words I just found
I wear your golden ring inside
suits me very fine
I wear your golden heart in mine
suits me very fine
A backseat sofa in the dark
upon a viewpoint in our town
nearby a fountain in a park
Why won't you wrap your life around
those certain words I just found
I wear your golden ring inside
suits me very fine
I wear your golden heart in mine
suits me very fine
I wear your golden heart in mine
and life is very fine
10 Hey! Get Out of My Way (03:30)
Words: Persson, Svensson
Music: Svensson
Listen baby
thoughts has crossed my mind
and it's clear now
you are not my kind
oh! I've tried boy
better ways to say
what I feel now
it seems you plan to stay
but I won't waste a day
so I say...
hey! get out of my way
hey! hey! hey!
you've always been in my way
Hear now honey
I'll be good to you
if you stay gone
far out of my view
I'm sick and tired
of your dramatic ways
and when I think of
all those wasted days
I shake loose of your laces
and say...
hey! get out of my way
hey! hey! hey!
you've always been in my way
this is all that I will say
this is all that I will do
I'm not in love with you!
11 Closing Time (10:22)
it's closing time, and a well-known fact
is that life is very short
it's closing time says the band
and it seems that life is very short
the baker in town was fat as a cow
at the end of the day he ate all remains
the baker in town was murdered one day
an order was left of 200 pies
we've all got some vice
after closing time
so this is it!
the carnival is now heading for a new town
we hope you enjoyed the show
the party at gordon's developped into a chaos
but the report says no one was hurt
and we've also heard that charley actually did solve the case
the gruesome killing of the bakerman
finally, the clown left the circus to become a plumber
he says : "suits me just fine, and life is very fine
and this is closing time"
it's closing time, and a well-known fact
is that life is very short
it's closing time says the band
and it seems that life is very short
la lalala lala lalala
la lala la la
la lalala lala lalalala
la lala la la la
life - greatest of all
life - strongest of all
but at the same time
most delicate time
could well end in a moment
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