The Cardigans have released their entire studio album repertoire on remastered vinyl LP. The celebrated Swedish quintet have issued all six of their albums on the format, two of which will be available on vinyl for the very first time: the band's head-turning debut Emmerdale; plus, the last album of their spellbinding 1992-2005 creative output: Super Extra Gravity. The collection will also feature world-dominating titles from their illustrious back catalogue, including Life (1995), First Band On the Moon (1996), Gran Turismo (1998), and Long Gone Before Daylight (2003). All albums have been remastered at Sterling Sound studios in New York and are pressed on gatefold 180g gram vinyl...

I originally bought The Cardigans's first two albums on CD when they were released in the '90s, and for a while they were the soundtrack to my life as I commuted to work in London. For some reason I never followed the band after Life (1995)... and if I'm being totally honest, I wasn't even aware they'd released more albums.

Super Extra Gravity (2005) is The Cardigan's sixth studio album and this is the first time it's been released on vinyl, which will no doubt delight lovers of the format. The band shifts even further into country and alternative rock. Nina Persson's vocal's are now totally unrecognisable. I had to check online, when I first listened to the later albums, that she hadn't been replaced. Personally, I feel that her voice has got stronger and more confident as the band's output has progressed.

This LP contains 11 tracks (40 min, 29 sec) and it might have been one album too many. Long Gone Before Daylight was a step in the direction, as the band matured and moved away from its original sound. Sadly, Super Extra Gravity doesn't deliver anything that really stands out. 'Godspell' (which was to be the album's third single, but was never actually released) is probably the one stand out track. One for completists only.

6

Nick Smithson