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Like a toaster tossed into a bubble-bath, such is the shock of "Gran Turismo." Veering a hard-left turn off the path of the folksy pop they whittled and waxed to smooth perfection on "Last Band on the Moon," the band with perhaps one of the most unassuming names in alt-rock (just behind Hum), The Cardigans, shock and awe with their fourth release. With its cold and calculated production and air-tight arrangements, "Gran Turismo" goes the distance in an effort to distance the band from their massive breakthrough hit, the sunny and bubbly "Lovefool."
Almost like Portishead by way of Garbage, it's clear from the opening crawl of "Paralyzed" that the listener is in for an windy road ahead. "This is where your sanity gives in, and love begins" croons lead vocalist and centerpiece Nina Persson, hinting at the themes of obsession and recklessness explored in the album's other ten tracks. "Erase/Rewind" eases the listener into things with its ear candy and ear-worm melody, before taking a detour through schizophrenic side streets like "Hanging Around" and "Marvel Hill." Avid alternative radio listeners in 1998 likely remember hearing "My Favourite Game" in between spins of "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" and "The Dope Show," and it sticks out like a sore thumb even here, as one of the more straight-forward and harder driving songs. Likewise, "Do You Believe?", with its sinister synths giving way to what sounds like the soundtrack to a boss level on an old-school Nintendo game, ratchets the intensity up a few notches, just as the album winds to a somewhat peaceful and resolved conclusion. Appropriately, one of the album's final numbers, "Junk of The Hearts" plays like a remix of an unreleased track from "Last Band on the Moon," bringing things full circle.
In their short time together as a recording act, The Cardigans would prove to be a versatile and formidable act, always changing shapes and dodging trends with each release. "Gran Turismo" is the beginning of that journey. It twists and turns and evades predictability, all the while keeping up a breakneck pace. By the time the trip winds down, you're ready for one more go-round. For fans expecting more of the same from the popsters that dominated rounds of Pop-Up video once upon a time: sorry. You won't get Lovefooled again.
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Richard Johnson
The Cardigans: Gran Turismo
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2023
