THE CARDIGANS
Southpaw
Brooklyn, NY
5/9/04
What at first looked like faded indie darlings trying to recapture their fanbase with a first-rate show at a small but noteworthy venue, rapidly revealed itself to be nothing more than a record label-sponsored promo for the band’s latest release Long Gone Before Daylight. Which wouldn’t have been a problem if: a) it had been a free show; and b) Long Gone Before Daylight wasn’t such a resounding bore (it’s quite telling that long-time producer Tore Johansson left very early on during the album’s recording sessions). So we endured almost two hours of third rate pseudo Eagles–-that’s the new direction these one time inventive alt-rockers have chosen--during which –-to add insult to injury--they purposely left out any material from their breakthrough album First Band On The Moon, including their only US hit, "Lovefool". The look of disgust from one of the venue’s bartenders as he gave The Cardigans the finger after their last encore, sums up our feelings as well.
