Face it, you're never going to convince the twenty-something crowd that country music is cool. The slightest whiff of a cowboy hat and most of us start scoffing and yee-hawing and line-dancing around the room to an imaginary Sheryl Crow soundtrack, two fingers pointing 'bang-bang', get off your horse and drink your milk, I want my D.I.V.O.R.C.E. etc. Which is a real shame, because every so often an artist or band of extraordinary talent and vision will enter the musical fray only to be largely ignored and derided by the record buying public because of some perceived country aesthetic (and no, I'm not talking about the Dixie Chicks here. If ever a band deserved to be ignored and derided by the record buying public, it's probably the Dixie Chicks).

Such is the fate chosen by Swedish stalwarts The Cardigans as they prepare to release their fifth studio album, 'Long Gone Before Daylight'. After a hiatus of nearly five years Nina, Magnus, Peter, Bengt and Lasse return with a rare work of marvellous depth and maturity. And songs about horses. A far cry from the indie-rock credentials of their 1998 hit 'Gran Turismo' maybe, but familiar territory for at least one band member. 'Long Gone…' is strikingly similar (in a good way) to vocalist Nina Persson's recent solo project, A Camp.

Opening with the melancholy wonder that is 'Communication', a startlingly frank account of love gone sour, 'Long Gone...' is from start to finish a continuation of The Cardigan's seemingly limitless obsession with doomed relationships, bittersweet love and emotionally tortured protagonists. 'You're The Storm' is undoubtedly the album's stand-out track though, wherein Nina cleverly uses cultural imperialism as a metaphor for love and the winning of hearts: "I'm an angel bored like hell / You're a devil meaning well / You steal my lines and you strike me down / Come raise your flag upon me / And if you want me I'm your country / If you win me I'm forever". It's topical, see? Nice.

First single 'For What It's Worth' is indicative of the general flavour of the album, as well as an excellent invitation to treat. And Nina Persson's voice has come a long way since her humble lounge/pop beginnings, sounding both more breathy and sensual than one might remember. With the clever introspective lyrical arrangements and accomplished melodies 'Long Gone…' is a surprising and beautiful work, at once both immensely sad and wonderfully uplifting.

words: Shaun Macartney