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LONG GONE BEFORE DAYLIGHT
(Koch)
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When Sweden’s Cardigans emerged in the mid ’90s with First Band on the Moon (Minty Fresh), they had the good fortune to be misperceived as a lounge-pop band. That had everything to do with the torch-singer quality of alluring frontwoman Nina Persson’s vocal approach and the suave, electronically embellished sound they’d stumbled upon. And though Persson’s backing band were said to have had some jazz training (as well an affinity for heavy metal), little of that surfaced on the first CD or its follow-up, Emmerdale. (They did, however, cover a couple of Black Sabbath tunes, both reconfigured to fit their own smooth sound.) As the exotica craze died down, the Cardigans found themselves without much of an American audience, and Persson spent time branching out into soundtrack work. But they never did break up, and they’ve returned to an indie label here in the US for their fifth album. Persson remains a subtle singer, but the band have abandoned the shtick of those early albums in favor of straightforward, confessional, often melancholy singer-songwriterly pop. All traces of the trip-hop grooves and electro-organic instrumentation have disappeared in favor of trad guitar/bass/drums arrangements. Persson’s presence as a vocalist hasn’t diminished — indeed, there are hints here of what Aimee Mann’s been up to for the past few years. (When the guitars get a bit twangy, there’s even a little Lucinda Williams in the new Cardigans sound.) With its moody, late-night feel, Long Before Daylight is what people tend to refer to as a more "mature" or "serious" album, a nice way of saying that it’s not as much fun as a First Band on the Moon. But it never fails to hit its musical mark. And sad songs have an emotional payoff that transcends the novelty of a swinging "Iron Man." (The Cardigans perform this Tuesday, May 11, at T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline Street in Central Square, with Jonathan Rice opening; call 617-492-BEAR.)
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