The Cardigans
Super Extra Gravity
Label: Nettwerk Records
Release Date: September 19, 2006

While we don’t doubt that Nina Presson and crew will also be cursed in reviews by their ‘96 sugar-pop hit, “Lovefool,” the Swedish group have spent the last 10 years proving they’re anything but cute.

We saw them two years ago at the Fine Line and were met with dark, edgy rock that had the entire club’s heads a bobbin.

The new album, Super Extra Gravity, has actually been available as in import from Europe for almost a year now (Universal Records originally passed on the record before it was picked up by Nettwerk for broader release), but is just now being released stateside.

The disc starts out slow and ballady before devolving into traditional Cardigans fashion with energetic, reverb and pedal effect-riddled modern and dark indie rock.

The recent North American tour was recently cancelled for “family reasons.” Our take: after years refusing to acknowledge the track, the Cardigans recently started performing “Love Fool” again, and bookers got pissed.

It’s much cooler in the rock world to hate your skeletons rather than embrace them. Only time will tell if the Cardigans can escape their past by releasing good (but not outstanding) indie rock albums outside the mainstream.