The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight

Long Gone Before Daylight marks a shift in theme for the Cardigans. Their last album, 1998's Gran Turismo, was a masterpiece. With Peter Svensson's quirky, driving, ultra-modern pop backing Nina Persson's icy dissections of doomed relationships, it was a Love Album informed more by Bret Easton Ellis than any high romance. So catchy, so cool, and so incredibly bleak--exceptional, intelligent pop in the tradition of Soft Cell and ABC. Long Gone Before Daylight, then, comes as something of a shock when the opening "Communication" and "You're the Storm"--both lush and beautiful pop--find Persson struggling for love then, come the Doors-like "And Then You Kissed Me," actually finding it. Real love, too--not the fascinatingly twisted variety of before. It's a terrible shame, for love reduces the Cardigans to the level of other musicians. But then, unpredictable devils, they hit you with "Couldn't Care Less," as Persson loses it all again, in the following "Please Sister" begging for advice, succor, anything. And now you realize; it's a pop-rock opera, the tale of one heart's tortuous and tortured journey through the mill. And it's superb. Persson, the finest pop lyricist working today, is on peak form while the band's back-to-roots grand piano and grander acoustic guitars provide an appropriately magnificent backing. --Dominic Wills Amazon.com

They just do not make albums like this

You could only dream of making an album this good.

One of The Cardigans best skills is re-invention. On this album they became the perfect band with the perfect album. Nina's lyrics are her best ever, and delivered with that irresistible silky Swedish sex-kitten voice. Peter Svenssons guitars and arrangements are brilliant. They had completed this album a couple of times and chucked and did it again until it was as good as they could make it.

Lyrically and musically, this album takes them into the rarified stratosphere of must-have albums, and without a doubt into one of the 50 best albums ever. These guys found some really good magic here, a beautiful mixture of light and gold-dust, "champagne from last New Year's", a slightly euphoric candle-lit warmth with an eternal return of love and loss, salt in your wounds and a promise of your heart's desire.

4 years after its release, I still think it is incredible. To me that means it is going to stand the test of time. And maybe that's because they have put down some timeless tracks, stuff that will always meet you halfway, and touch you right where you are.

The band might be long gone before daylight, but the album they left behind is in it for the long haul.
June 11, 2007

It's great!

The Cardigans are probably the most exciting group to come out of Sweden in a generation. This album is their fifth(!), and it has a great, smooth sound that differs from their earlier "Pop" tunes. I love the songs For What It's Worth and Live And Learn, but there is not a bad track on this entire album.

So, if you like smooth and mellow music by a great band, then you really must consider getting this album - it's great! I love this album and highly recommend it. April 17, 2007

Perhaps the most perfect pop album of all time.

I don't usually write reviews, but this album is so outstanding that I couldn't hold back. Some complain that Long Gone Before Daylight doesn't sound like the Cardigans they are used to hearing (think Lovefool) but in this case that is not a bad thing. This album is much more mature and laid back than previous ventures and the result is a sound that is simply sublime. The album is full of songs that all sound great together and while they are stripped down they are also somehow more epic in their simplicity. Long Gone Before Daylight is innocent and dark, pure and flawed, simple and grand, and ultimately as close to perfect as any album I have ever heard. March 22, 2007

The best album...

I think Long Gone Before Daylight is Cardigans best album so far...though it's very hard to choose just one...It's just amazing.... January 15, 2007

warm fuzzy cardigans

The lyrics are a mixed bag -- not exactly down, but not joyful, either. I don't see many of these as great poetry. In another singer's hands, the material might fall flat. "You hit me! / Yeah, you hit me really hard / Man, you hit me! / yeah, you hit me right in the heart" (No, I do not think this song is sado-masochistic. It's a metaphor, guys.) Nina Persson is able to pull this stuff off, but I think few others could. Her ability to express longing, despair, grief, compassion, irony, all with the little quirks and twists in her beautiful girly voice is what keeps these songs rolling.

Frankly, I find the musical composition better than the lyrics. I don't know what to compare it to. It has the richness and complexity that I admire in some of my favorite bands -- XTC, for example. The songs will often surprise and delight you with their harmonic changes. The production is well-done, but not overdone. As another mentioned, sound quality is superb.

There is nothing on this record like Lovefool. Certainly the Cardigans are moving away from the fluffy pop candy of before. This is deeper and richer, musically. Most of the songs are moderate in tempo and volume. I don't know why some of the songs have a slight country and western flavor. It is not objectionable by any means, but a bit surprising for a Swedish band. Persson's English pronunciation is remarkably pure. She has a great ear.

For me, a few of these songs will be favorites, with a lot of repeat play. The lush pop opener, Communication, is certainly a highlight. In Feathers and Down, Persson shines in a hypnotic, slowly pulsing song of encouragement. These are classic songs that grab the listener by the heart. I find many of the others musically astute, performed for all they are worth, but ultimately a little bit lightweight in lyrical subject matter. Not that this isn't fun sometimes, as on Live and Learn. I think the band would admit that they leave the philosophy to others. They are only here to entertain.

The bonus DVD is a little extra treat. The videos are silly, as videos often are, but they're nice to look at. Three live tunes give you an impression of what the Cardigans are like in concert. I'm sure they put on a very competent show.

This is my first Cardigans album. I am intrigued enough to sample others. They are all serious musicians, but not too serious. And there's nothing wrong with that. August 22, 2006

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