Best Of in Bloomington, MN

Unfortunately, the
Cardigans
are best known in the United States for their 1997 single
"Lovefool,"
a fluke Top 40 hit thanks to its inclusion on the soundtrack to
Baz Luhrmann
's splashy updating of
Romeo and Juliet
. In that context, the Swedish quintet came off as
Europop
lightweights,
Ace of Base
with a bit more indie cred. This truly did the group a disservice, because as
Best of the Cardigans
reveals,
Nina Persson
and company were a truly gifted
pop
band that delivered some of the most intoxicating singles of the '90s. Proceeding in chronological order from 1994's
Emmerdale
through 2005's
Super Extra Gravity
, the 22 tracks are front-loaded with many of the band's finest, from their winsome debut single
"Rise and Shine"
to the tongue in cheek lounge pop of the singles from 1995's
Life
, the glorious
"Carnival"
(arguably their career high point) and
"Daddy's Car."
A more conventional
alt-rock
sound enters circa 1997's
First Band on the Moon
's bitter kiss-off
"Been It,"
and by the time of later albums like the
electronica
-inspired
Gran Turismo
and the moody
Long Gone Before Daylight
, the
seemed stung by misapprehensions about their earlier work that had overlooked its ironic humor and seen only the bubblegummy surface. That seems to have changed, however, if the 22-second long
"Bonus Track"
and the glitchy dance-rock take on
Talking Heads
'
"Burning Down the House,"
with guest vocals by
Tom Jones
, that end the disc are any indication. ~ Stewart Mason