THE CARDIGANS - EMMERDALE

 The Cardigans - Emmerdale

The Cardigans are a pop rock band from Sweden.  The Cardigans are mainly known in the United States for one song, “Lovefool”. But we're not here to talk about that.  We're here to speak of what took place before everyone became their "Lovefool."

Emmerdale is the debut studio album by The Cardigans', originally released in Sweden on 18 February 1994 and on 24 September 1994 in Japan only. After the commercial success of their later recordings, Emmerdale was made available in the rest of Europe in January and in Canada in May 1999. The album was named after the British television soap opera of the same name. 

By the time Emmerdale was released in the US in 1999 (in a slightly different version with tracks from the album Life a couple years before that), it was popular enough in the Cardigans’ home country of Sweden, and in Japan, to achieve Gold status. While The Cardigans have changed sounds from pop, rock, country, etc, Emmerdale is probably most easily summed up as a pop-rock/lounge record.  But there's more than meets the eye behind the sound of this band.  While on the surface the sounds are sunny and jazzy melodies dripping in a confectionery gooey gum drop of quirkiness and sweetness at face value, underneath that layer of sugar are these dreary pulsing themes of alienation, jealousy, the banality of betrayal, bitter loneliness and utter depression hidden under a beautiful and tempting layer of gilded confection that covers a core of deep and vivid rot. Who knew that depression could be so warm and fuzzy? The songs are often close to the purest expression of joy, whilst flirting perpetually with melancholy. 

The Cardigans' first album is pure gloss of twelve songs mainly written by guitarist 

Peter Svensson

(multi-instrumentalist and composer/arranger of this record) for the music 

and by

 bassist Magnus Sveningsson’s (bass and composition) for the lyrics (full credits). 

The whole is assembled by chanteuse Nina Persson on vocals,

 

Bengt Lagerberg on drums and percussions

and the minimalist Lars-Olof Johansson on keys and second guitar.

The Cardigans are:

• Lars-Olof Johansson – acoustic guitar, piano

• Bengt Lagerberg – percussion, bassoon, drums, recorder

• Nina Persson – vocals

• Magnus Sveningsson – bass

• Peter Svensson – bass, guitar, percussion, piano, arranger, conductor, vocals, bells, vibraphone

Though the cover of Emmerdale suggests a sunny sky with frolicking dogs like a summer's picnic of delight, inside the songs are quite a melancholy affair, as demonstrated on the first song "Sick & Tired" (the single) which hinted that all is not as syrupy as one expected in the Cardigans' camp.

 

“Sick & Tired”

The opening track pairs a driving verse/chorus structure and flute accompaniment with resentful and resigned lyrics about the bitter pride of being sick, tired and utterly alone. This is a chipper little tune about looking at camaraderie with contempt and scornfully denying the fellowship of others. Nina Persson's voice is soft as a shiver, the tempo is fast, the guitars are acoustic, the drums are incredibly raw and the whole is quite surprising for what is supposed to be a plain folk-pop song.

"Sick, tired and sleepless
With no one else to shine for
Sick of all my distress
But, I won’t show I’m still poor…

You can always say that summer had its charm
And that you did no major harm
Oh, spare me if you please

Symptoms are so deep
Something here’s so wrong
Nothing is complete
Nowhere to belong

Symptoms are so deep
I think I’d better stay
Here on my own
So spare me if you please

The stand out cover on the album is a Black Sabbath cover, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”. After all band members Svensson and Sveningsson, originally were two metal musicians. One of the best covers of a Sabbath tune that has ever been, this nearly-bossanova take serves to remind us that the Cardigans make a Sabbath tune sound as if they wrote it, just like Johnny Cash made so many other's songs sound as if he had originally wrote them.

Emmerdale takes Emo to a complexity and cheer that is impossible not to be utterly swept up in misery and glee upon listening. Proving that you don’t need angst and metal to soak weeping souls in. The Cardigans bring a wry and grinning sense of joy to the feeling of abject sadness, inviting you to open your black and shriveled heart in winking solidarity. 

 

 

The Cardigans ‎– Emmerdale
Label:  Trampolene ‎– TRACD1501, Trampolene ‎– 523 215-2
Format:  CD, Album
Country:  Europe
Released:  18 Feb 1994
Genre:  Rock
Style:  Pop Rock

Tracklist

1.  Sick & Tired  3:25
2.  Black Letter Day  4:31
3.  In The Afternoon  4:10
4.  Over The Water  2:16
5.  After All...  2:56
6.  Cloudy Sky  4:08
7.  Our Space  3:31
8.  Rise & Shine  3:31
9.  Celia Inside  3:36
10.  Sabbath Bloody Sabbath  4:32
11.  Seems Hard  3:57
12.  Last Song  3:21