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On hiatus
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
The Cardigans are currently taking a break inbetween albums and as usual, this website takes the opportunity to make some changes, nip and tuck here and there, to be back in full force for the next time 'round. I will still be posting news when there are any but aside from the new look, most other sections have been taken down for maintenance.
Speaking of hiatus, Peter recently gave an interview to PopMatters in which he explains where the band is right now and when they might start working on the next album.
"Yes, we’ve talked about it. But we’ve just got back from playing in Brazil... and it’s been almost exactly two years of work on this album... and we didn’t really have much of a break after Long Gone, which was three years of work because we had a really long recording process. But we’re planning to get together before Christmas to talk about it, to try some new songs, and to try to make a plan.
I think we’ll probably start recording sometime after New Year. But we’re going to take it quite easily, take our time and make sure we don’t rush. Because whenever you start the ball rolling in this game, it automatically means another two years out of your life. So we want to make sure we’re really prepared before we tell the record company we’re ready to go to work again."
Read the entire interview here.
More on Nina/Mark Linkous collaborations
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
In a recent interview with Pitchfork Media Mark Linkous talks about his forthcoming collaboration with Dangermouse called "Dangerhorse" and mentions Nina as a possible collaborator on the project.
"I'm writing right now. And there were a couple of songs that we worked on that were going to go on this Sparklehorse album but just didn't make it. 'Cause often I'll write songs in the wrong key, and I'll get all the tracks finished and go to sing it and I can't fuckin' sing it. There were a couple of songs that were just out of my range that we're going to have on the Dangerhorse record. We'll probably get a girl to sing them-- I think Nina [Persson] from the Cardigans will probably sing some of those songs."
"For the Dangerhorse thing, I do want to have guest vocalists and friends on there, like hip-hop records have. That's going to be some obvious collaboration. I'd like to get some of my friends to appear on that."
Read the entire interview here.
Could this be a beginning?
Saturday, October 14, 2006
"Well, I'm doing another record with Dangermouse, we're calling it Dangerhorse. Daniel's got some songs he wants me to work on… I saw Nina a couple of weeks ago, she's staying in New York, and we talked about doing another record. So yeah, hopefully one of those'll happen, and I'll do another record with the band, a record with Christian Finnesz. Some collaboration albums, I think, and then another Sparklehorse record."
Quote by Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) on the latest issue of scottish Brazen Magazine. Linkous produced Nina's first solo effort "«A Camp» released in 2002.
The Cardigans play America!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
The Cardigans will play the CMJ Music Marathon at the Knitting Factory in New York on October 31. According to a post by Magnus on the official forum it's only going to be Peter and Nina playing acoustically at the event (this is confirmed on CMJ's website) and doing American press in NYC.
Tickets are available at TicketWeb.
Nina and Sparklehorse
Friday, September 22, 2006
Nina joined Sparklehorse onstage at the Bowery Ballroom in New York on September 19 for live renditions of «Gold Day» and «Apple Bed». Nina originally lent her voice to these two songs on Sparklehorse's 2001 album «It's a Wonderful Life» and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse produced Nina's solo effort «A Camp», also released in 2001.
See two photos with Nina from the concert here.
New song featuring Nina on Oxfam compilation
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
 Under the collective moniker The Cake Sale, a group of artists have come together to record and release an album on Oxfam Records to promote Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and overseas programme work.
Nina participates lending her voice to the beautiful Emm Gryner Song «Black Winged Bird», first featured on Emm's album «The Summer of High Hopes» which was released this past May 12 in Ireland and September 26 in North America. You can listen to the song, and several others, on The Cake Sale's MySpace page.
As well as having toured with The Cardigans during the Long Gone Before Daylight tour leg in North America in 2004, Emm is in the band Hot One together with Nina's husband Nathan Larson.
Emm writes about her collaboration with Nina on her online journal, first on May 25:
"My last day in Dublin, BX1 has invited me to offer a song for inclusion on a
record he's producing which will aid Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. Lots
of great artists are involved - Damo, Snow Patrol, other Bell X-ers etc. So
as much as I no longer enjoy the traditional studio environment, it is a
wonderful day. BX shifts around the structure and key of Blackwinged Bird
and we record a version altogether - me on piano, Nick (ex crowded house) on
bass, paul noonan on drums, my mate Matt Lunson on an old Gibson acoustic
guitar. We have a certain someone in mind to sing this new version but no
announcements just yet."
Then later on July 10:
"so my friend nina persson has decided to sing 'blackwinged bird' for the oxfam album i wrote about previously, being produced by brianx1. so bx1 and i jet off to sweden <...> our first day is made up of drinking swedish coffee, strolling around and dining. while nina and bx1 watch world cup, nathan and I plot Hot One activity."
The record, also called «The Cake Sale», will be released initially in Ireland next month. The full line up of collaborators is Rob Bochnik, Ollie Cole, Brian Crosby, Conor Deasy, Dave Geraghty, Emm Gryner, Lisa Hannigan, Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), Glen Hansard, Gemma Hayes, Graham Hopkins, Kevin Horan, Colm Mac Ion Iomaire, Padraic McMahon, Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), Matt Lunson, Paul Noonan, Nina Persson, Dominic Phillips, Damien Rice, Ken Rice, Josh Ritter, Daniel Ryan, and Nick Seymour.
US Release of «Super Extra Gravity»
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
 «Super Extra Gravity» is released today in the USA through Nettwerk America, almost a year after it was originally released in Sweden and Europe. The album is being released in a regular, 11-track, version as well as a bonus track version including the UK bonus tracks «Give Me Your Eyes» and «Slow» according to Nettwerk America's website.
PopMatters says: "Super Extra Gravity is a welcome dose of energy compared to the rather lugubrious Long Gone Before Daylight, and one need not look any further than the brilliantly titled “I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to be Nicer” to find out that not only is this band’s musical bite back, but that Persson’s lyrical sass makes a welcome return as well." (7/10) Read the entire review.
New interview with Nina
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Wears the Trousers is the UK's only magazine dedicated to raising the profile of female musicians and there's an interview with Nina in the new issue. Go to www.thetrousers.co.uk and click "The Cardigans" under "Issue Four" to read the interview or download the entire mag in PDF-format here.
An interesting quote from the interview concerning the new direction The Cardigans are taking:
"I want to make more records that make sense, in a way. The fun thing is that when you start to tour a record like we did in March, you notice immediately how you start to develop because you are taking the previous record to a new inbetween land. Recently, we started to touch on the subject of what we wanted to do. We were listening to some music and we were like ‘I wanna go in this direction!’…I’m not saying what but I’m really excited!"
The Cardigans cause a stir in Belarus
Friday, September 01, 2006
 The Cardigans caused a smaller polemic after their concert in Minsk, Belarus this past Sunday, August 27 by having Nina bid farewell to the audience with the words "Zhyve Belarus" ("Long live Belarus") shouted from the stage. Something that reportedly had the 8000-people-strong crowd reacting with "delight bordering on shock". The cause for the controversy, which was reflected on Belorusian media and on internet forums and blogs, was that "Zhyve Belarus" also serves as a slogan for the opposition against Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
On the official website Magnus comments:
"After playing there, we got many emails from people who watched the show.
It´s nice to hear you all enjoyed it a lot, it makes us very happy. Thanks for your support! Fight the power!"
"Yes, we had lunch with the Swedish ambassador and we all asked him a lot of questions. He was a very nice young man who could tell us this and that rather freely, something we really thank him for. So yes, he told us the double meaning for Zhyve Belarus. It both means Long live Belarus and it's also used by the opposition in the country. We are not a openly political band, but we belive in free elections and free press to start with. Since we wanted to say something in Belarusian, we thought this would be perfect. It seemed like people liked it cause every email has mentioned this."
"Wow, people are talking about this?? Well if we could do something to make people stand up tall and feel proud about their nation and the will to change things to the better.... Like I mentioned before in a previous letter, we are not a openly political band. ( of course we are political in our private life but it´s soooooooo tiresome having to defend your view in 10000000 interviews) Anyway, we believe that it´s a human right to have free elections and free press."
"Yeah well the phrase has a double meaning and I guess that´s what we and the Swede ambassador liked about it. Power to the people!"
The Council of Europe has barred Belarus from membership since 1997 for undemocratic voting irregularities in the November 1996 constitutional referendum and parliament by-elections. According to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, Belarus' constitution is "illegal and does not respect minimum democratic standards and thus violates the principles of separation of powers and the rule of law". The Belarusian government is also criticized for human rights violations and its actions against NGOs, independent journalists, national minorities and opposition politicians. During the rule of the current administration in Belarus, there have been several cases of persecution, including the disappearance or death of prominent opposition leaders and independent journalists. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Nina talks to Pitchfork - US release and the cancelled tour
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Yesterday, Pitchfork published an interview with Nina in which she, among other things, explains why the planned North American tour was cancelled:
"Three guys in the band have small children, so I think we just realized it wouldn't be the best thing for those families. It's just unfortunate that they had already announced it - we hadn't completely made up our minds."
Most importantly, the article confirms that «Super Extra Gravity» will be released in the US through Nettwerk America on September 19(with no bonus material) and that the band definitely wants to try to return to the US next year.
Read the entire interview.
Read Pitchfork's review of «Super Extra Gravity».
Super Extra Gravity US Release
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
«Super Extra Gravity» will be released in the USA by Canadian independent label Nettwerk's US subsidiary Nettwerk America on September 19. This according to a catalog entry on Nettwerk's website. Other artists on Nettwerk are Ron Sexsmith, Sarah McLachlan and Martha Wainwright.
There is no information on which editions will be released, if it will include any bonus material or if it will be the regular 11-track edition.
The Cardigans return to Japan
Monday, August 14, 2006
 After many years of absence in the land of the rising sun The Cardigans played live in Japan this weekend. The two-day stop included gigs in Tokyo and Osaka as part of the Summer Sonic Festival. Strangely enough the dates had not been announced on the official website prior to the event. First word of The Cardigans' playing in Japan came through an entry by Magnus on the official website.
Japan has been vital to the The Cardigan's success. After selling more copies of "Emmerdale" and "Life" in Japan than anywhere else, The Cardigans became one of the biggest international acts of the mid 90s in the country. The sunny and stylish pop of their early career, epitomized by the cover of "Life" with Nina in a baby blue skating dress, struck a chord with the Japanese. But the band's subsequent maturation process and darker sounds would prove that the Japanese market is fickle as their popularity in the country rapidly dwindled.
With the brighter sounds of "Super Extra Gravity" The Cardigans hope to return to Japan with a bang but it remains to be seen if Nina dug out the blue skating dress or if the Japanese took the new Cardigans to their hearts.
Changes...
Monday, August 07, 2006
I'm currently making some rather major changes to the website, as you may have noticed. These changes will be gradual, starting with the entry page and the news, and will culminate with the transfer of the site to a domain of its own this fall. While these changes are happening, pages may go offline and things may not work very smoothly. I ask you to be understanding for the time being so that at the end of it we'll have a better fansite than ever before.
The Cardigans play Brazil.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
 The Cardigans bring their live act to South America for the very first time as they will play several dates in Brazil this September. There is no official information regarding the venues but according to Brazilian radio station Antena 1 they will play three venues as part of the Campari Rock Festival.
The dates are:
September 6 // Sao Paulo (Via Funchal)
September 8 // Florianopolis
September 9 // Belo Horizonte
The Cardigans are headlining the tour with English post-punk band Gang of Four.
US tour cancelled.
Friday, August 04, 2006
On the official website The Cardigans announce that the US tour that was planned for September has been regretfully cancelled due to family reasons. This follows the unconfirmed tour announcements made by ticketmaster and other retailers and their subsequent retractal. However, a post by Magnus on the official 'Ask the Band' section suggests that there might be another tour in the works for next year.
More american tourdates.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
More american tourdates have appeared on ticketmaster.com. The newly added dates are:
September 18 // New York / Irving Plaza
September 29 // Hollywood / Avalon
September 30 // Solana Beach / Belly Up Tavern
Still,none of these dates have been confirmed by official sources. Apparently they've been announced against the band's will as there are still budget issues to resolve. The tour, or individual dates, may end up being cancelled. So proceed with caution if you want to buy tickets at this stage.
American tourdates.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Over the last days several autumn tourdates in the US, Canada and Brazil have been announced on sites such as ticketmaster.com as well as by concert promotors and venues. According to Magnus on the official website, these are only tentative dates as the budget for an american tour, were it to happen, has not yet been approved. In the US and Canada tickets are available for purchase through ticketmaster even though the american tour remains to be confirmed by official sources.
This is Magnus' message on the official forum:
"Hey all!
I don't know why the US tour has been announced yet. We in the band has NOT accepted the budget for the whole trip yet and for me it's unaccaptable to announce a tour before it's all set. So all of you who celebrate now, you may be in for a big dissapointment. Sorry to say this, but it's the truth.
The band"
The tourdates that have been anounced are:
September 6 // Sao Paulo / Campari Festival
September 8 // Florianópolis / Campari Festival
September 9 // Belo Horizonte / Campari Festival
September 15 // Boston / Paradise Rock Club
September 20 // Toronto / Opera House
September 23 // Chicago / The Metro
September 24 // Minneapolis / Fine Line Music Club
«Godspell» next single.
Friday, June 30, 2006
According to a message from Magnus on the 'Ask the band' section of the official website, «Godspell» is going to be the next single from «Super Extra Gravity». There is no information yet about release dates or if there is going to be a video but it seems as though the release is imminent as «Godspell» promo singles can be found on the internet trading market (eBay auction).
News drought.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Sorry for the lack of updates. But you know, there's no need to despair - I have been putting some news on the official website instead.
Tour news.
Friday, March 24, 2006
As you may have noticed on the index page, the Scandinavian leg of the «Super Extra Tour» is over and The Cardigans are now heading for the rest of Europe. I've added the known summer festival dates to the index page but nothing has yet been confirmed for May or the autumn. Some additional summer dates may also be added.
Finally, Magnus could also confirm that there is a vinyl release of «Super Extra Gravity» in the works although no release date has been set.
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