Nina Pearson of The Cardigans: “Ozzy said our Black Sabbath cover was the scariest thing he’d ever heard” | Pop and rock

Are you a fan of actual jackets? com. garythenotrashcougar
I can see their genius as pieces of clothing, but I’ve never looked good in a cardigan. our [former] Songwriter and guitarist [Peter Svensson] Suggest the name. We were very Anglophile. We loved British music. Our first album is called Emmerdale because the series was shown on Swedish TV every day, called Home to the Farm. We’ve romanticized something rainy, foggy and woolly… like a cardigan.

I like covers that have a remake of the original, so I really enjoyed your lounge style version Saturday Bloody Saturday. What made you choose that band? [Black Sabbath] And the song in particular? NotDrivingAminiMetro
We were big fans – for a heavy metal band, there’s a real folk feel to the songwriting – and I thought it was interesting that the cover was extended away from the natural sound. As a woman, I thought singing a song performed by very masculine men gave it a wonderfully creepy side. anserine [Osbourne] He came to see us in Los Angeles and said it was the scariest thing he’d ever heard, which coming from him is the biggest compliment.

Was there something in the water in Sweden in the 1990s that gave rise to the sweaters? Wanadis and Stina Nordenstam -Some of the happiest “dark” music you’ve ever heard? Domstockton
There are a lot of factors that influence this – the weather, the sparse population – and Appa also had this feeling of being happy on the outside but darker on the inside. In Sweden, artistic expression was encouraged and they helped us to be creative. When you were eight or nine years old, you were given a free tape recorder and then other instruments on free loans, so that the poor kid could play the violin without breaking the bank. As in all countries, traditional music is characterized by sadness and beauty combined with melancholy. All the children’s TV shows we grew up on were scored by the best jazz players and musicians, so we were exposed to quality music very early in our lives.

the Cardigans [1995 album] life It sounded very different from the pop music of the time. What inspired this vintage-inspired style? Mart Wolves
There was a Swedish band called Eggstone who had a studio in Malmö equipped with tape recorders and an old BBC mixing desk. Everything was old and clunky but looked great. When we made our first album there with their producer Tori Johansson, it was like a playground for us. We have shed our whiny traits and truly found our shape. But when it came out it caused us some trouble because everyone asked us about 60s pop music and we didn’t know the references. I was a fan of the Zombies, the Beatles and Nancy Sinatra, but for us it was more about what we could do with that style nowadays.

I loved the work I did Mark Linkous from Sparkle Horse. What memories do you have of him or of working together? GalaxyOfTheLost
I had a friend who I admired. At first I was a direct fan. Then he invited me to a concert and I couldn’t believe I had a direct connection to my hero. I was really scared, but I handed him my demos saying “just listen, whatever.” Then we kept in touch and became a very strange pair of friends, in terms of age and culture, but something happened. It certainly happened musically. We both appreciate our differences. He was so sweet, soft and incredibly funny. We had a great time, but he also had this side where he wasn’t in the right place mentally sometimes. He had physical pain in his body and some darkness that wouldn’t leave him alone for periods, so I felt very early on that I had to help him. My husband and I were struggling to have a baby, and two days after I found out I was finally pregnant, Mark passed away. It was the biggest win and the biggest loss at the same time, and then we had to perform at that really brutal funeral. I miss him so much, but we have some of Mark’s instruments from his widow and our son’s middle name is Link, which is really nice because he always reminds us of Mark.

It was long before daylight It’s one of my favorite albums ever And hearing it at 14 opened my ears to a lifelong love of Americana. What have you been listening to to inspire a shift in direction? laurasnapes
Definitely Americana, starting with Fleetwood Mac and the band, which we called “beard rock,” and then getting into more wood and sea stuff and the bearded side of things. I already did [Linkous-produced] The Camp record, which reflected my love of Americana, my love of Neil Young and Dolly Parton, and my delving into country music. I was really happy that the rest of the Cardigans, as a Swedish band, also wanted to go in that direction. Before that, I thought emotional music was a cliché thing, but I realized that you have to be open to emotion and rawness from the heart. After the fun and ridiculous 1990s, it was a relief to think: “It’s okay. We’re human.”

Manic Street Preachers are a popular and close-knit band They have worked closely together for decades. How did you find collaborating with them and were you able to provide your own input? Hobo
“Your Love Alone Is Not Enough” was really beautifully written and they just wanted me to sing it. There was absolutely nothing I could change, except James [Dean Bradfield, singer] I came to New York and we recorded it together, so it was really cool to be in the same room instead of just exchanging digital files like so many collaborations these days. Nikki [Wire] I really liked our song “Sacred Love” – there’s a kind of recklessness to it, which might be why they chose me. We had so much fun. I love spending time with other close-knit teams. We all realize that nature doesn’t make creative people stay in the same constellation — childhood friends stay together or whatever — so there’s something very weird and wonderful about that.

You’ve worked with Tom Jones and Manic Street Preachers – why is there so much love for Wales? Language, cuisine or weather? Paris Dave
There is also Cardigan Bay [laughter]. I really love Wales, and I also toured with James Yorkston to delve into Scotland. I really enjoy the close-knit honesty of those communities. Tom Jones [with whom the Cardigans covered Talking Heads’ Burning Down the House] He is very kind and had a genuine curiosity and joy in what we were doing. When we worked with him, his son was his manager and he brought his best childhood friends with him – a bit like the Manics, in a way.

I find your story of overcoming cancer inspiring. I live with a chronic illness (MS) and find that it has made me more sensitive, more creative but also more pessimistic about the future. How has the disease changed you? azapata
Until I was 30, I rarely had a cold, so it was really strange at that age to encounter something that could be fatal. My cancer was operable – and I didn’t have to deal with chemo or anything else or get really sick – so I’m so sorry to hear that your disease is chronic because that’s a whole different beast. I think the consolation prize for any kind of suffering is that you can appreciate things — art, for example — in a different way. You realize that these things can happen to anyone. I had 15 or 20 years of thinking “I beat cancer” but now I’m over 50 thinking: It could totally happen to me again.

It was 20 years ago Super extra cutenessMy favorite album is yours. Was there something about this recording that felt like it was time to stop making music or Do you have plans for any more? journowm
We were going to make this album, and in our excitement we decided to make another one right away. Then I started to hesitate… Throwing myself into another album and another touring cycle would leave me in another two or three years trying to start a family. I said, “Actually, let’s take some time.” Then I had to go through cancer too and we dropped the ball. The main songwriter eventually ran out of patience, but the rest of us were excited to keep playing live. Now we have logistical issues – families, day jobs – but we are toying with the idea of ​​making new music, either as Cardigan or in a different form. We’re all capable of making great music, and lately, it’s been inspiring to see people like Suede from the ’90s making new material. It’s not awkward middle-aged men looking hard at leather jackets. It’s really good stuff.

Did you know? Neil Hanoun was going to Name check for you In the song of the Divine Comedy Sweden? The man without fear
It was a surprise. I wasn’t asked or told in advance, but I was a fan of The Divine Comedy and the others named are all pretty cool people, so it was a lot of fun. There are things to say about Ingmar Bergman [the Swedish film colossus was among those namechecked]but there was no real donkey.

Quantity to Cardigan life The album shows you lying on an icy-looking surface On skis. Do you skate and how do you rate your skills? VerulamiumParkRanger
I trained as a teenager, but last winter I trained with the Malmö Ski Club and regained my skills. There’s a Swedish band called Kite that did a whole concert on ice and I was in the show on skates. It is very difficult and fades very quickly. A year ago, I was probably in the second best shape of my life, but now I don’t think I can do it. We performed with a Finnish team of skaters [Helsinki Rockettes] They are the best in the world, so training with these ladies was very funny.