A Camp

(Stockholm Records)
By Michael McCarthy

The Cardigans’ vocalist Nina Persson released an untitled solo album under the moniker A Camp in 2001. It has yet to be released Stateside, but the UK release on Stockholm Records (www.stockholmrecords.com) isn’t terribly hard to find and is certainly worth hunting down if you’re a fan of her distinctive voice. Produced by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, it’s a decidedly tranquil work that meshes modern studio staples (drum programming, samples) with everything from steel guitar and mellotron to the Wurlitzer. The end result is what you’d expect if Persson were to front a reunited Iron Butterfly. It works on the dreamy “Frequent Flyer” and the upbeat “Hard As A Stone,” which calls to mind Stone Temple Pilot’s “Big Bang Baby,” but “The Same Old Song” does seem to live up to its name (www.a-camp.org).