Word: turismo
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Gran Turismo...
...known: nothing on the Cardigans' new album Gran Turismo has the unique saccharine thrill of the peerless "Lovefool." But you can't underestimate the album's unusual charms, both familiar and fresh. More than any of their previous work, the album reveals the clash of personalities that enlivens the ensemble: the heavy metal/hard rock lineage of guitarists Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson and the '60s girl-group pop song tradition of singer Nina Persson and producer Tore Johansson. Certainly, the group is far from a mere novelty project of classic pop archivist Johansson; as their First Band on the Moon...
Though their early albums Emmerdale and Life musically indulged the lighter guises of the band, distorted guitars and power chords have been seeping into the Cardigans' sound with increasing insistence and intensity. On Gran Turismo, for the first time, the Cardigans finally capture the state of cutting-edge rock circa 1998 rather than the state of vintage pop circa...
...great part, the reinvention of the Cardigans has been enabled by their bold passage into the world of trip-hop electronica. Rather than the familiar panoply of flutes, horns and strings of their previous work, Gran Turismo grooves to the unfamiliar rhythmic contortions and techno loops of an electronic beat box. Impressively, the Cardigans integrate these new elements seamlessly, brewing a series of the catchiest pop songs this side of Alanis Morissette; every track sounds as if it were designed to rule the airwaves. Unlike the beat-driven atmospherics of classic trip-hop bands like Portishead, the Cardigans fix their...
...mimics, though, the Cardigans do use the razor-sharp melodies and propulsive perpulsive percussion awfully effectively. None of the stylish songs on Gran Turismo may have the impact of something truly new, but they do have the impeccable production of Tore Johansson elevating the sounds into a stratosphere of classic pop song delight. Maybe Gran Turismo is just tasty candy, but you won't be getting these sweet, sinister confections out of your teeth any time soon...