For a people blessed with such excellent bone structure, Swedes sure can get down in the mouth. Nina Persson, of Swedish alt-pop veterans the Cardigans, always finds the melancholy in her band's shimmering tunes. With this side project — which includes her husband, Nathan Larson of Washington, D.C., art rockers Shudder to Think — she luxuriates in brooding isolation, orchestral drift and heartsick melodies that recall Sixties girl groups and the Carpenters. "I Signed the Line" is a lush divorcee's lament, and "It's Not Easy to Be Human" could be a murder fantasy or a suicide note. Persson sounds cute and tender, even while comparing love to a shotgun, shining some midnight sun on these dark, alluring songs.