You may well remember songs like “Erase and Rewind” and “My Favourite Game” but you should certainly recall “Lovefool” which given the prominent place in ’96’s cinema version of Romeo & Juliet made The Cardigans a big name in pop. If you hear any of their back catalogue you’ll soon realise that there’s much more to the band than the Swedish bubblegum category you may originally have lumped them into. Nina’s lyrics are often intelligent and poignant, while the riffs are unconventional and vibrant. Unlike a lot of best ofs, The Cardigans meticulously chart their career from beginning to present and it is well worth getting hold of the two disc version. The quality of the early/alternate versions and b-sides on the second disc only serves to stress what a great and versatile band they are. From the chirpy, poppy “Rise and Shine” to the far Rockier “Godspell” you can hear the evolution in sound and also in Nina’s voice. CD also comes with an insert explaining all the songs and some of their humour. Highly recommended.

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