First Band on the Moon

katamari damacy vibes

LOVE ME LOVE ME SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME FOOL ME FOOL ME GO ON AND FOOL ME

Full of songs I’ve heard before, but didn’t know the name of.

This is an absolute joy. Endearingly charming vocals and all sorts of surprising bells and whistles, anticipating The Bird and The Bee. Great rhythm section with one of the best recorded bass sounds I’ve ever heard. I dig the “Iron Man” cover as well as the Sabbath reference on “Heartbreaker”. The songwriting quality is a bit inconsistent but “Lovefool” is genuinely brilliant.

It's a fun album this. I think the standout is just the general production and composition of it. It's a kind of happy, floaty vibe for most of it, and quite dreamlike in places. There's some unusual instrumentation in here, but it works well.

3.5 rounded down.

Who doesn’t love them some sexy Swedes! Love Fool, great song but overplayed to death. I hear it now 30 years later and I’m numb to its greatness. Iron Man was an interesting cover, the band were metal heads. Apparently Ozzy said it was the creepiest cover of Iron Man he’d heard.

Непоганий поп-рок альбом. Ніна Перссон це клас, також тут є всім відомий хіт лавфул. Але важко мені полюбити ці пісні та розглядати їх як щось більше ніж просто фонове прослуховування.

Surprised how much I enjoyed it!

I'm really not sure how to evaluate this. It's like they're doing the splits: one leg on catchy pop lyrics and melodies, the other on alt-rock styles. It must hurt stretching your "musical" muscles like that for so long. For me personally, stick to either side or find a way where you can stand instead of splitting (3.5).

Iron man was a surprisingly good cover

this album caught me during a pop rock kick. i was ready for a quick 4/5 after the first song. unfortunately there are duds on this album and they hit like a truck. the iron man cover rules though fuck the haters

One hit wonder album 🤷

Nothing too interesting.

Overall this wasn’t a bad album, I just wish there was at least one song half as good as Lovefool.

This is an album where, just... everything clicks. The instrumentation is rich and varied. The songs are fun, immediately catchy, and varied in style from one to another. The sequencing is on point, with seamless transitions making the full listen feel cohesive, and the lovely closing track wrapping everything up nicely. And of course, Nina Persson's voice is absolutely angelic!!

Now, all of that's just me clinically listing off points I enjoyed about the album, but I really can't accurately convey how their softly sung cover of Iron Man made me feel. I read about it beforehand and thought it sounded ridiculous on paper, but in reality it showcases all of the band's strengths while genuinely doing justice to Black Sabbath original (which I also love!). From that point and for the rest of the album, I had a big ol' grin on my face; I was 100% sold on their sound, and it took First Band On The Moon from a strong 4 to a 5 in my eyes.

Sidenote, this genuinely sounds like some of the Japanese pop/rock I love. It's no surprise the band found a strong audience over there, according to the book!

Standouts: Your New Cuckoo • Heartbreaker • Never Recover • Lovefool • Losers • Iron Man • Choke

Sickly sweet pop rock so saccharine you'll need a dentist.

The single Lovefool was my introduction to The Cardigans. Apparently, I was late to the party, because I immediately bought the album Gran Turismo, which had already been released, and loved it. I've now listened to First Band on The Moon in its entirety for the first time. It's a good album. Still, I like Gran Turismo much better. 4/5

The Cardigans up until this point had made a minor name for themselves for the way in which they mix sweet and sour sounds. On First Band on the Moon they continue to drop little explosions of joy into a mix which is tentative and unsure in its happiness. The call-backs to the 60s girl groups are less pronounced than before but still contribute to a generally nostalgic sound. The second album amped up the sound, and this one amps it up further making The Cardigans more of a pop rock band.

Lovefool is one of the obvious standouts, sounding nothing like the rest of the tracklist or any other song they’ve put out up until this point. It is the band in their most radio ready form and is quite deservedly a massive hit. Less chart worthy, but no less conspicuous is the Black Sabbath Iron Man cover which reveals half of the band’s unlikely roots in heavy metal music. It’s a fun and silly addition.

Despite all the pop factor on display, it’s still a surprise that Peter Svensson has gone on to write mega hits for (/with) with Lizzo, Carley-Rae Jepsen, Ariana Grande, Elle Goulding, Troye Sivan, The Weeknd, Meghan Trainer, Avril Lavigne, One Direction, Leona Lewis and Justin Bieber. For my money The Cardigans sound more distinctive than the majority of those artists.

A decent listen with a few standouts. The Iron Man cover took me by surprise but I kinda love their groovy take on it.

For those who were on the Cardigans bandwagon since Emmerdale, this album takes a turn from inner ennui to full blown outer melancholy about dissatisfaction surrounding unfaithful lovers. The Iron Maiden cover isn't evenough to perk things up, this is a sad record, even the relative upbeat "Lovefool" is loaded with dark lyrics of unrequited affections.

Me? I'm just sad we're approaching 20 years without a new Cardigans album.