Cogs can think.

Another difficult musical decision I just made. What’s the best album by The Cardigans?

A few things you need to know about The Cardigans. Basically, the band’s career can be divided in two. Their first three albums (”Emmerdale” [1994], “Life” [1995], and “First Band On The Moon” [1996]) are not my thing. There’s nothing wrong with them technically, it’s just that the ’60s inspired sound is not for me. This period of The Cardigans, which I refer to as the ‘old Cardigans’, did produce one gem: “Lovefool”, probably known by just about anyone. A great song, with much more depth to it than you’d say upon hearing it for the first time.

No, my Cardigans are the ‘new Cardigans’, which started with 1998’s “Gran Turismo”, which had a completely different sound to it than their previous material: it was dark and electronic, and very, very well produced. From beginning to end, the album is one entity, songs logically flow into one another, and despite sporting just ten tracks, it’s enough. There’s only one way to describe this album: it’s done. These albums were followed by the country-inspired “Long Gone Before Daylight” in 2003, and the much darker and more raw “Super Extra Gravity” in 2005.

At first, I thought it would come down to either “Gran Turismo” or “Super Extra Gravity”, but surprisingly, after some intense listening sessions of the three ‘new Cardigans’ albums, I had to scrap “Super Extra Gravity” from the list. Despite the album sporting nothing but very, very good songs, it’s also a very inconsistent album. It goes from left to right, as if it doesn’t know what it wants to be. So, despite absolute gems like the pounding “Losing A Friend”, the manic “I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer”, and the haunthing and chilling “And Then You Kissed Me, II”, the album lacks coherence.

Which leaves me with the other two. After some more listening, it became apparent to me that “Long Gone Before Daylight” just lacks something. I can’t really put my finger on it, but it seems as if the album lacks power. The percussion is fairly subdued, and the guitar play is light - not bad, but light. This creates a lack of power, a power that certainly is present on the other two.

By the way, the album’s closener, “3.45: No Sleep”, is a song you just have to have.

This means that the dark and electronic symphony “Gran Turismo” is my best album by The Cardigans. It’s an exercise in technical excellence, and it’s the best showcase for Nina’s dreamy, bedroom-y voice. I can’t help but fall in love with her every time I listen to the album.

All three albums are top-quality material, but “Gran Turismo” just stands out.