
Cold Sweat is the second single off of the band’s debut album, Life’s Too Good, and my favorite. It’s hard to articulate, but the song has a strange undercurrent of urgency. Bjork also really shows her vocal range here as well.
I first heard the band while in junior high. A friend of mine on the block got the tape from her older brother and played it for us. I’d never heard anything like it. Still haven’t really.
For a band that started out as “a joke”, the Sugarcubes’ initial critical reception was overwhelmingly positive and authentic. After experiencing considerable success in Iceland with their double A-side single of “Ammæli” (“Birthday”) and “Köttur” (“Cat”), the Sugarcubes released an English version of “Birthday” in 1987. A week later, seminal UK music weekly Melody Maker declared “Birthday” their single of the week, beginning a chain reaction that would culminate in the band signing a distribution deal with Elektra Records in the United States. Hailed by indie press as “the best band since the Smiths”, the Sugarcubes were offered massive sums of money to lease their creative control to the major labels. The band refused, and their debut full-length LP, Life’s Too Good, would go on to sell over one million copies worldwide. By the end of 1988, the Sugarcubes had performed for the likes of David Bowie and Iggy Pop, and appeared on Saturday Night Live.
More: Read the rest of the article here.
“Cold Sweat” by The Sugarcubes | Life’s Too Good, 1987
Do you have a favorite by this band? What’d you think of this one?
Thanks for being here,
P.S. Lively up your inbox! Every day The Sample forwards you a newsletter to discover. The more you use it, the better it gets at delivering what you want.
Whoa! I haven't listened to Björk in a long time. My faves by her are "All Is Full Of Love" and "Jóga" I remember the "Björk Digital" - interactive exhibition that I visited couple years ago. It was sooo stimulating and weird. I think I've overdosed her music after it. It's nice to learn something new about her past. I didn't know about The Sugarcubes at all. Thanks for sharing Kevin! I do like this one that you've picked a lot. Also "Leash Called Love" has caught my attention
I love this!!!!!!!! This band was one of my favorites back in the day!! If I had to pick a favorite song it was Delicious Demon. Have you ever heard of a band called The Creatures?