Wednesday, April 23, 1997
Why The Cardigans? Lars-Olaf Johansson wrinkles his elfin nose and ponders rock's least profound question. "A band needs a name," he says after some deliberation.
Well sure. But why not something a bit more rock'n'roll, a bit more er, dangerous. "Well, we liked English bands and originally there was a "warm and cosy' sense in the music," the keyboard player says. "We've turned it upside down since then."
Perhaps. There are plenty of people who still regard them as warm and cosy, a bunch of happy, shiny Scandinavians with chirpy tunes and a spring in their snow-boots. It's just one of the consequences of identifying yourself with a garment favoured by retired people fond of a spot of gardening.
In Sydney for a show at the Metro tonight, the biggest Swedish band since Ace Of Base (who were the biggest Swedish band since Roxette and mega-Swedes Abba) aren't having a bar of it. Tired and hungry, guitarist Peter Svensson - a man with the chutzpah to wear sunglasses and a hat in hotel lobbies during daylight - says they have more in common with alternative rockers like Beck than Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny and Bjorn. "I think The Cardigans have become a commercial success, but Abba, Roxette and Ace of Base were commercial from the beginning," he said. "It was a master plan I believe. For us it's a different thing and we have a different background."
Indeed they do. Formed in 1992 somewhere unpronounceable in the middle of Sweden, the "Cardies" moved to Malmo and lived together in a Monkees-style arrangement until the release of their 1994 debut album Emmerdale.
The world at large ignored it, but the pop-loving Japanese bought 25,000 copies. They adored the follow-up Life even more, particularly the cuddly cover which showed Johansson dressed as a U-Boat commander. Shoe-horned unwillingly into the "easy listening" fad - particularly in Germany for some bizarre reason - The Cardigans are only now asserting themselves as Neo-Swedish alt rockers. They've recently toured America with the aforementioned Beck. In Australia their profile was boosted by the inclusion of their song Lovefool on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet.
"I spoke to him [Luhrmann] on the phone ...," Svensson said. "He was a Cardigans fan and he was into it. He knew the scene he was going to use the song in and exactly what kind of song he wanted."
What of the future? Svensson wants to write "really, really good songs. Classic songs", he says from behind the sunglasses.