In The Round

The Cardigans have a new record out. Actually, it's an old record - out in October of 2005 in Europe - that has only just made it out here in the US. It's been a while since I had heard one of their records, having passed on their last record, 2003's Long Gone Before Daylight. So far I'm feeling a bit "meh" about it. It has some prettiness, it is well played and well produced, and it is free of the cheese of their early years. That might be it's downfall, because I always enjoyed the kind of cheese they offered. Instead of cocktails and a bit of disco syncopation we have very adult, indie rock in the vein of someone like Aimee Mann. Nice, but will it keep me coming back? I don't know. That having been said, I do really like In The Round, and it has everything to do with the guitar riffs on it. The two dualing riffs at the beginning suck me in, and the ultra-cool vibe keeps my attention. Very nice.