First Band on the Moon

It's giving 70s pop, but also 90s pop rock.
Lovefool is from them? I always thought it was Gwen Stefani singing.
Kinda meh. 2*
Highlights: lovefool

The name, The Cardigans, sounded vaguely familiar but I initially couldn't place it. Within the first 30sec of this album I said “Oh... I bet this is the album with that ‘love me love me, say that you love me’ song”. Well, that's called “Lovefool” and it’s track 7. I have a vivid memory of sleeping over a friend’s house when I was ten and hearing that song play on repeat from his sister’s room all night while I couldn’t sleep. It’s not a bad song, but I heard it enough in that one night to last me a lifetime. Looking past that, the rest of the album is a pretty fun/light listen that added some sunshine to my morning.

I know the band is Swedish, but the sound is like a 'California Rock' album with all the 60s nostalgia of 90s Brit Rock. They even include a cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man", and "Iron Man" references in "Heartbreaker" and "Choke", just to prove the point. This sound persisted (you can hear it from actual California bands like Beulah) but "Lovefool" feels like the high-water mark for this sound. Hole will drop the nostalgia for grunge and relaunch the California sound in '98 with Celebrity Skin. Then there's the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication in '99, and so on... anyways, I digress.

If I have a complaint, it's that Nina's voice starts to get a little cloying over the course of the album; I wish her range was just a little bit lower and not so saccharine sweet in every song. Interestingly, "Lovefool" has some stacked vocal harmonies that help balance this out really well, but they didn't bother with it anywhere else on the album.

Great fun. A little more upbeat and energetic and would have gotten a five for sure.

Fun piece of Indie-Pop.
Nice nod to Black Sabbath not only in their cover of Iron Man but also in Heartbreaker.

It's okay, but for me this band remains a one hit wonder. Not bad, just not great.

This is a weird coincidence or something....this album has the shitty cover of Iron Man on it, and my Fatboy Slim album yesterday had a song on it (The Weekend Starts Here), that samples the intro to Sabbath's song The Wizard .....Both albums I've had since Ozzy's death feature songs that in some way sample or cover his work .....weird

These guys had that one hit, Lovefool, in the 90's....but one good song does not a good album make... These guys were part of that weird alt pop movement of the 90's that included bands like Sixpence None the Richer, and No Doubt (without the shitty ska backing).

Favorite songs: Lovefool, Never Recover, Iron Man

Least favorite songs: Heartbreaker, Happy Meal II, Step On Me

2/5

Gorgeous Nordic power-pop, powered by Nina Persson's smoky vocals. Somewhat unfairly bundled in with the Tier 2 Britpop bands (largely because they would have played on TFI Friday a lot)

I like that they foreshadowed the Iron Man cover by playing the Black Sabbath riff at the end of an earlier song. And speaking of that cover, I love when a band really makes a cover their own, and boy did they do it. Lovefool is infectious and groovy even if it’s been overplayed at this point. Overall a pretty solid album.

This feels like the midway point between the kitschy 60s pop of Life and the rockier sound of Gran Turismo, and for me that’s the Cardigans’ sweet spot.

This was quite the pleasant surprise! I know my dad owned this CD growing up, but I've never much been a fan of "Lovefool", so I never thought to give it a shot. I imagine it'll be quite a hot take to say it's easily my least favorite song on the album, but I really dig everything else. Their arrangements are extremely interesting, and although the production is somewhat slick overall, it's still very dynamic, and maintains a relatively consistent thread of tasteful weirdness. I'm excited to spend more time with this one.

4/5

Until today I couldn't say who that Lovefool song was by. Deservedly a hit. Not sure this album deserves to be on this list though - UK 90s/00s overrepresentation continues.

Man I loved Lovefool back in the day. 13 year old me had a huge crush on Nina Persson. Funny thing is that I don't think I'd ever heard this whole album before now, just Lovefool and Iron Man. If I had to describe it in one word, I think 'sweet' would do it. But sweet like in a candy sense. Like I feel like I have a cavity after hearing this record. But I still like it. The Iron Man cover kind of comes out of nowhere but it fits really well on the album and they did a fantastic job of making it their own. I like this record a lot and I can report that the 13 year old in me still has a crush on Nina Persson. 4/5

Pretty nice.

Why are there albums on here that should just be a single? The single on this is produced differently than the rest of the album. Why? Just make an album that sounds like the single and you might have more than one hit? That being said that one song is fucking killer. Plus the iron man cover is pretty hilarious. Rest of the album just gets whiney about 2 songs in.

Nice looking, Nice vocal. Boring name. Boring album cover. Quirky songs.
Ah yes, Lovefool I remember that now. And a superb Iron Man cover.
I can't believe they are Swedish.. can't detect any accent.
Yeah pretty good. 3½
Marking up to 4 cos she's fit.

3.75 great album. Ironman cover is a treat

Didn't realize I knew Lovefool until it came up, and yeah I understand why that was the big hit off the album. But while that is undeniably the best song on the album, I feel like the rest of the album is more interesting. Very unique sound, basically funneling a 60's sound through the 90's, with a fantastic vocalist and great lyrics.

Also, one of the most interesting covers of a song I've ever heard, covering Black Sabbath's Iron Man.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I always thought of The Cardigans as a bit of a one-hit wonder with Lovefool, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Beyond Lovefool, there are some real gems on this album. Your New Cuckoo, Never Recover, and Heartbreaker stood out to me — all catchy and well-crafted.

Nina Persson’s vocals are fantastic, and the band sounds tight and polished throughout. It’s a solid album that I’ll definitely be revisiting.

Favourite song: Lovefool is a classic, but aside from the obvious pick, I really enjoyed Step on Me.
Least favourite: Honestly, there isn’t a bad track on the album.
Album artwork: Very cool cover — it suits the vibe of the album perfectly

Well, that’s a 5.

Been a while since I’ve had an, “oh, this is THAT song” moment, but I sort of felt it coming with the 754 million plays that “Lovefool” has on Spotify. Truly cannot believe that wasn’t in my big playlist until now.

But, hey, that’s just one of the 11 tracks on here – how do the rest hold up? Well, I can safely confirm that, for my ears, this is the type of “fun” album we haven’t really gotten since that Scissor Sisters album, or at the very least, the type of instrumentation that’s just bubbly & happy, mixed with some rather sad lyricism full of self-doubt. I love a good “happy song / sad lyrics” combo when it’s done right, and the Cardigans know how to do it really well. I genuinely thought I hadn’t heard of them at all until now, but again, “Lovefool”.

There’s some super good standouts here for my ears – “Your New Cuckoo” feels like a super genuine opener about 2 people just falling in love with some city pop vibes, and I’m ok with buying into that. “Been It” is really catchy, reminiscent of “Girlfriend” by MJ, though it’s a bit repetitive over its last 90 seconds or so. “Never Recover” is awesome; big Teen Titans energy with a 60s feel, and it’s really easy to get caught in the groove of it. “Step on Me” has some devastatingly sad lyrics, but the instrumentation makes it feel really modern and a great listen. For some reason, the elevator music / hard rock structure of “Losers” really worked for me.

I think that cover of Iron Man deserves its own paragraph – it’s a super bold move to take such an iconic heavy metal track (which I’ve only really heard in passing, without paying super close attention to; it’ll be in the list, I’m sure of it) & make it a lo-fi lounge-y track that you might hear in a modern cozy indie game about like, serving coffee or something. I thought it was cool as hell, & for 1996, feels insanely timely for 2025. That exact style of production feels more relaxed & normal now, & I really wonder how they settled on that nearly 30 years ago.

I would’ve flipped “Great Divide” & “Choke” – “Choke” is a really nice track, and it has a bit of a “Billie Eilish does Mr. Blue Sky” vibe going for it that I think works great as a closer… if “Great Divide” didn’t exist. I think the glittery instrumentation on that track is lovely, I think the Sinatra-esque tone to the vocals and structure works really well, and as a sort of narrative ending to the abusive relationship talk that permeates this album, ending on a track that finally has some sort of happy positive conclusion would’ve felt satisfying.

Regardless, I really, REALLY liked this – it’s a breezy 39 minutes, a welcome pop cleanser with a hint of edge, & another one for the “this is THAT song” pile that will certainly continue to grow. It’s a super easy 5 for me, and I’m very glad it’s in the list; super deserved, and highly recommended. Great, great stuff here.

Sure it's bubblegum pop, but it's difficult to believe how many absolutely fantastic vocal melodies are on this album. Combine that with clever, succinct songwriting and unusual instrumentation, and this is one of the very best albums on this list. The nods to Black Sabbath (both the cover and sneaking the riff to "Black Sabbath" into "Heartbreaker") are nice, totally unexpected touches.