Bands similiar to The Cardigans?

July 17, 2009 11:58 PM

What bands are similiar to The Cardigans? I'm talking about their older stuff (late 90's).

I love The Cardigans. I really dig the sound they had in the late 90's. Any other bands out there with that sound/style?

posted by pdx87 to Media & Arts (34 answers total)

Roxette
posted by amyms at 12:05 AM on July 18, 2009

If you like the Cardigans, you might like Metric (this or this, for example). You might also try the Sundays, or further afield, post-"Skylarking" XTC.

(Was the Roxette suggestion sarcastic?)
posted by The Tensor at 12:20 AM on July 18, 2009

Metric is a great example... also Emily Haines and the Soft Skeletons.

You may also like the New Pornographers. Sundays is probably a good pick, though they never did a lot for me.
posted by Gideon at 12:22 AM on July 18, 2009

Cranberries? Metric?
posted by rokusan at 12:22 AM on July 18, 2009

Dammit, Gideon.
posted by rokusan at 12:22 AM on July 18, 2009

(Was the Roxette suggestion sarcastic?)

Not at all.
posted by amyms at 1:02 AM on July 18, 2009

I found some songs by St. Etienne to have the Cardigans' shimmery pop sound. I like 'Sylvie' and 'You're In A Bad Way' (I can't find a video for that on YouTube for some reason.. and I don't know if that video will work for you). There's some more St. Etienne stuff on YT.

Or.. what about Echobelly? 'Great Things,' for one. And Sleeper! Try 'Inbetweener' and 'Nice Guy Eddie'.
posted by Mael Oui at 1:54 AM on July 18, 2009

I second St. Etienne. You might also like Tahiti 80.
posted by apetpsychic at 3:44 AM on July 18, 2009

Garbage?
posted by murtagh at 4:37 AM on July 18, 2009

The Concretes, maybe.
posted by sugarfish at 5:00 AM on July 18, 2009

Try Cinnamon (their album Vertigo in particular).
posted by hot soup girl at 5:10 AM on July 18, 2009

The Primitives
maybe even Transvision Vamp?
posted by liquidindian at 5:24 AM on July 18, 2009

Try punching the Cardigans into Pandora.
posted by HotPatatta at 5:34 AM on July 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Start with the tracklisting of this album, then use the band names as input for last.fm (or Pandora).

Look out for vocalists who go on to solo careers too (I'm thinking of Tanya Donnelly)
posted by Leon at 5:51 AM on July 18, 2009

I knew I'd used that album in an answer once before. Might be worth exploring this thread
posted by Leon at 5:55 AM on July 18, 2009

Phoenix?
posted by SurrenderMonkey at 6:06 AM on July 18, 2009

Get St. Etienne's Good Humor. It was produced by Tore Johansson, who produced the albums from The Cardigans you like. I know this because I listened to Good Humor and thought, damn, was someone from The Cardigans involved in this?
posted by adipocere at 6:23 AM on July 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Camera Obscura. Also seconding the New Pornographers, but I push them on everybody and would have recommend them if you asked what other bands sound like Winger.
posted by JamesWilson123 at 7:09 AM on July 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Also, Swedish band Komeda. There are some videos on YouTube.
posted by galaksit at 7:31 AM on July 18, 2009

On revisit, seconding Camera Obscura (damn, how did I forget that?) and St. Etienne.
posted by rokusan at 7:43 AM on July 18, 2009

A friend who was a big fan of the Cardigans was a huge fan of the early Ivy stuff--apartment life, realistic--the later stuff--in the clear--not so much.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:59 AM on July 18, 2009

Sleeper and Echobelly do seem like good choices - I would also recommend later period Bis, once they had grown out of J-pop a bit (the album Social Dancing is very good). Lamb are great, as are The Breeders, and Luscious Jackson. And maybe Morcheeba?
posted by WPW at 9:11 AM on July 18, 2009

Seconding Camera Obscura. Also check out Lykke Li.
posted by avex at 10:03 AM on July 18, 2009

Komeda? Stereolab?
posted by quarterframer at 10:24 AM on July 18, 2009

Second Whale album. Maybe.
posted by Leon at 10:56 AM on July 18, 2009

Metric, The Submarines, First Aid Kit, Teddybears.
posted by SassHat at 10:56 AM on July 18, 2009

Seconding Stereolab.
posted by wackybrit at 12:41 PM on July 18, 2009

Nth Camera Obscrua. But there's more!

Bishop Allen, Bat for Lashes, El Perro Del Mar, Feist, the 1900s

More tangential: Mika, Vampire Weekend, Regina Spektor's new albumn
posted by Diablevert at 12:47 PM on July 18, 2009

Broadcast, Hooverphonic, Nouvelle Vague
n^thing Stereolab, Metric, Luscious Jackson, and Ivy
posted by cowbellemoo at 3:25 PM on July 18, 2009

Cosign Saint Etienne, the album Good Humor in particular, is right on.. for Lovefool era Cardigans, if that's what you're after. But they changed it up a lot, didn't they?

For Saint Etienne, most recent single from them: Method of Modern Love, so great! Also Shower Scene is a favorite of mine.

If you mean Cardigans like "My Favorite Game" era which was more rock.. hmm.. maybe you'd like Vivian Girls? Not exactly the same I know, but.. catchy.. Dean & Britta.. Moloko.
posted by citron at 6:49 PM on July 18, 2009

Huge Cardigans fan myself. lots of good suggestions so far. Surely you already have all the A Camp stuff? Try the Long Blondes, the Essex Green, the Delgados, Rilo Kiley.
posted by rbf1138 at 10:51 PM on July 18, 2009

Some (but not all) April March might fit the bill - probably her guest vocals on Bertrand Burgalat's records, and more likely her recent collaboration with Steve Hanft.
posted by mintcake! at 12:07 AM on July 19, 2009

The Sundays are awesome. They only made 3 albums. Tragedy.
posted by chunking express at 9:49 AM on July 20, 2009

Response by poster: Gracias, ya'll :)
posted by pdx87 at 12:39 PM on July 20, 2009