CARDIACS

'Sing to God' - Cardiacs (10/10)

Listening to Cardiacs, I get the mental image of a deranged gerbil in a hole somewhere composing music. Although at one point he may have been content to write jingles and fine- tuned pop ditties in exchange for sunflower seeds, Cardiacs represents everything past the point where the gerbil loses his grasp on reality and becomes wrapped up in creative fervor. Now unabated by mundane rodent things, the gerbil and his music fall deeper into madness. Although this may not do well to describe Cardiacs' manic mix of punk rock and avant-prog, it should give a good indicator of the feeling "Sing to God" gives me as a listener. It's catchy, experimental, and about as close to the peppy end of a manic depressive episode as I imagine music could aptly depict. Really, it's pop music beyond words or sense, and I can't seem to get enough of it.

Among other things, punk music arose as an opposition to the bombast and overcomplexity of progressive rock. In lieu of this, it's quite the irony to see Cardiacs not only fusing the two styles together, but doing so as if prog and punk were made for each other. "Sing to God" runs the gamut in terms of styles: a sense of symphonic bombast comparable to Yes is mixed with Beatles-esque baroque pop sensibilities and injected with the venom of pub- dwelling punk rock. These sounds- which would often conflict with each other in the 'real' world- are all fused with a viciously tongue-in-cheek attitude pleasantly reminiscent of Frank Zappa. I could also compare the band's overdubbed vocal harmonies to Queen, or the general 'what-the-hell-am-I-listening-to' atmosphere to Mr. Bungle, but Cardiacs ultimately stand on a ground of their own. Did I forget to mention that the band manage to make this experimental chaos as catchy as the plague?

Many of the songs on "Sing to God" rest on a tightrope between order and chaos. Many of the songs enjoy a level of comfort in catchy instrumental hooks and quaint vocal melodies. With the exception of a few tracks (most notably the cinematic-worthy "Dirty Boy", the unsettling soundscape "Quiet as a Mouse" and some of the shorter musical sketches), the majority of "Sing to God" boasts a foundation in good old fashioned songwriting. Vocalist and mastermind Tim Smith has a zany and wildly charismatic voice that would have even fit comfortably into British alternative rock canon, were it not for the extent Cardiacs take their basic elements and contort them. Although some elements are best kept as a surprise for fresh listeners, be sure to expect everything from 'chipmunk vocals' to film score flourishes, classically-influenced pianos, circus music, hyperpunk rhythmic energy and everything in between. Of particular note are the extra-wacky tunes "Dog-Like Sparky", "A Horse's Tale" and "Dirty Boy", a longer piece that gets remarkably profound and damned near celestial by the end of it. Tim Smith's lyrics are a world of their own, and though there's not often the sense that there's an explicit meaning behind the absurdity, they're absolutely fascinating within the context of such a chaotic album. Although- at an hour and a half- the album may be a little long for one comfortable sitting, there is no filler to speak of, although the first half is decidedly better than the latter.

In spite of the zany effects, absurdly surreal lyrics, wall-of-sound production and mile-per- second flow of ideas, Cardiacs remain- at their core- a pop band, and "Sing to God" remains a pop album. In the end, it's the interplay between the hyper-weird and catchy elements therein that makes the album so bloody fascinating. Depending on where your mental state may be at the time of listening, it will either be a trip through the most euphoric hyperparadise dreams could forge, or a reality-distrupting soundtrack to nightmares. Whatever way it may strike, "Sing to God" is pretty unforgettable, and it just may be the greatest experimental rock record I have ever had the strained pleasure of listening to.

The Cardiacs can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. Other than the first two tape recordings as shown at the start of this discography, their albums are without parallel.

'The Alphabet Business Concern' which opens the album sounds like the drunken National Anthem to a completely blootered middle England, being really loud and bombastic throughout with big booming drums and massed vocals.

As other reviewers have hinted at, this is a bit more straightforward than all their other albums but blimey, it still rocks like a daddy and jumps about like a jack-in-the-box. If you took away the manic vocals of Tim Smith it may sound to some listeners like a more pumped up testosterone injected, 'Madness' starring Suggs circa 1981.

On hearing this again, I'm really surprised by the low score. 'Goodbye Grace' is pure bonkers - with all of what's best in the Cardiacs - manic drums, thrashing guitars, weird time signatures, old fashioned keyboards which now, in 2013 sound undated, and a crazy front man spitting bullets out of his mouth at 100mph.

'Anything I Can't Eat' is pretty much like above but doubled in intensity. Man - I love these guys! The more I hear this album the better it gets. I've never before heard a band that sounds so crazy to be able to hold a beat and tune together despite the random sudden changes in beat.

If you've not heard the Cardiacs before - this is a good entry point as some of their later material - 'Sing to God' in particular, is completely off the wall and totally crazy. 'Heaven Born And Ever Bright ' isn't particularly easy on the ear - it thrashes about wildly, kicking, spitting and thrashing out at all who are willing to listen.

Great fun!

Punk had its birth as a reaction to the megalomaniac attitude of the prog dinosaurs , everybody knows. So the late 70s saw a number of unskilled people playing a sort of rock&roll revival. Then somebody able to play tried to hide its skill by playing "punky". I mean bands like the Clash for example. But punk hadn't a long life. Soon somebody added some goodies to the punk and we had "new wave" artists like Lene Lovich and most of all the DEVO who had an old prog fart like Brian Eno behind the production.

This is where I think Cardiacs are from. Their music has its root in punk, but they have inherited the weirdness of DEVO and of course have added their own ears to obtain something that even with deeply British roots is still unique today.

One song for all: "The Leader Of The Starry Skies" has everything you need. Unusual signature, punk base and lyrics, a connection even with the ska and that crazy feeling which makes them so tasteful to me. I have actually loved bands like the DEVO and I honestly think that the Cardiacs are their "Evolution". I know that this sentence can seem a joke: evolution of devoluted.

Of course there are exceptions which make this band representative of the prog avant- garde. "The Duck and Roger the Horse" is an example. The sequence of chords and the changes in the signature are incredibly complicated. The sax played by Sarah Smith adds a further touch of jazzy crazyness, but apart when the drums are totally punk, we can hear much more. An epic condensed in less than 4 minutes.

A song like "Fast Robert" has a double face: from the musical side it's very complex, full of chords unusually jointed and at the same time has lyrics full of alliterations based on the sound of the words for than on the meanings. I have read Syd Barrett mentioned in one of the reviews of this album. This is a song in which I thing Barrett's influence can be seen. Luckily Cardiacs arrived at the end of the 80s and have had the possibility to avoid the worst of the decade.

As its predecessors this album is crazy. The songs is like they are sung by a happy fool even in the darkest moments. I think it's the insanity that makes this album so good. The weird smiles on the album's cover tell it clearly: this is a world of musicall madness. It's not allucinated like the world of Syd Barrett and it's everything but dark.

Of course a song like "Buds And Span" can't easily find a subgenre in which being inserted. The very good thing is that the quality of all the songs is excellent and the refrains (when there are refrains) are all great in terms of compositions. An excellent addition not to be missed from anybody's collection. Probably a lot of people will find them hard to digest like it often happens with RIO and Avant. Despite of that everybody with a bit of curiosity can proudly show this album in his collection.

I'm a huge Cardiacs fan but they always struck me as one of those bands who's live albums never really worked. It's a case of 'you had to be there'. There's nothing ostensibly wrong with this album, it's just that I'd much rather listen to the studio versions. I was originally going to give this 2 stars but listening to the CD again this morning it struck me that no Cardiacs album should ever be rated so low and hey, you can't argue with the quality of music such as Tarred & Feathered, Big Ship etc. The recording is great, the performances are energetic and spot-on........it just lacks the extra clout Tim Smith gives his studio outpourings.

Truly one of those bands you'll either love or hate, the Cardiacs polarise opinions with everyone who's heard them. There's something endearingly English and wacky about the Cardiacs that no other nation have been able to replicate before or since. On this one they've finally got the big studio sound they so deserved.

This album is a bit more straightforward in construction than their masterpiece "Sing to God' from '95. Therefore it's a much easier listen. That's not to say that things are easy... Things never are with the Cardiacs. You'll hear some truly deranged time signatures accompanied by start-stop keyboards and guitars which vary in speed dramatically. It's all very exciting and unpredictable as you'd come to expect from this bunch of whacked out loonies. For a quick reference check out 'Tarred and Feathered' on You Tube to see what you'll be letting yourself in for.

Consistently brilliant, without a dull moment due to the delightful crazy tight musicianship and frantic staccato between all players which sound as tight as 'Beefheart and his Magic Band' at their prime.

There's a fair bit of 'Madness' with muscle flung in as well amongst the melee which only increases the brilliance. I don't like giving any band 5 stars for two albums, but it really can't be helped here. This recording is far easier to consume, being more vulnerable than 'Sing to God' but remains just as schizophrenic and intense.

It's such a shame that no one could make head nor tail of them in '88. They should have been superstars .

The Cardiacs drove me to drink and I never even had the decency to thank them.

Another EP of B sides of this great album and it is almost as strong as "Manhoo"

The song "Odd Even" is the same version as the album. Great song. Beautiful. Blah. Know the drill. All good stuff. All weird keyboards beautiful and melodies and all Cardiacs goodness.

Now "Devils" is a great medieval sounding track with a beautiful opening melody and Tim's vocals going through strange effects and everything. Great song. Squirmy bits and all.

"Hurricane" is completely instrumental and it almost as equally strong. Is a really great song. Great slow tempo in this one.

Well yes if you ever land on this one buy it.

Short review is short.

Well I'm going to keep this review short. This EP isn't available anywhere. I got it from the Cardiacs forums... and thank god I did. The B sides of Sing To God are absolute musts for the Cardiacs fan- particularly this one. The songs of the B-sides to be honest, are much weirder than the ones on the album. More instrumental... more atmospheric... I can't explain it- just much much different.

The first song "Manhoo" is of the album- so I won't delve into it much. It's an incredible song in every way (Sing To God is my favorite album of all time so don't be surprised when every song there is incredible).

The two songs here that aren't on the LP are varied and wonderfully bizarre. "Spinney" which starts in a fairly simple folky way, has these hilarious and frightening blast beats and noise every once in a while. The blast beats, combined with one of the most beautiful songs Tim ever wrote, make this track special and unforgettable.

The second song, "What Paradise Is Like" is probably one of my top 3 favorite Cardiacs songs. Beautiful pianos- manic transitions to noisy bits, great keyboard sounds. It really must be heard to be understood.

If you're a Cardiacs fan and spot this somewhere... somehow... get this.

Eventually, there comes the time in one's life when one must hear something by Cardiacs. There's nothing like it. It's an entirely new experience. And this album delivers their uniqueness on a platter, although I assure you that if this platter were in a diner, you would have no need for Tabasco sauce. Apparently, Tim Smith doesn't even approve of the phrase "Pronk" to describe his music (a term which so eloquently blends "Prog" and "Punk") although if I had to apply a label to it, that would be it, really. All of the music has raw power, shouted, off-key vocals, and sardonic goofiness, but also strange rhythmic complexity (including an unexpected preference for triple meter) and always unpredictable structures, chord changes, and melodies (when coherent.) If you like punk, you'll probably hate this, and if you like prog but are more closed-minded, you'll probably also hate this. But I and many others on this site like it. Why? Well, for one thing, they're all good musicians. Tim Smith, though sometimes off-key for effect, has certainly proved himself capable of singing well, and on this album does on many tracks, and he is a fantastic guitarist. Sarah Smith's saxophones offer a certain Gentle Giantiness, and at times also sound like a demented carnival. Regardless, the songs: 1: A Little Man and a House: Tim Smith has a characteristic "Squawky" sound to his voice, and of course a very thick estuary accent, but if you are not bothered by this, there may be hope yet. This piece has a couple verses, but the main stuff is in the chorus, which consists of many repeated phrases, all coming back to "That's the way we all go." Repetitive, and not the best on the album, but still a successful mood setter. 7/10 2: In a City Lining: Definitely the "demented carnival" comes into play here. A beautiful use of the lydian mode, and an amazing accelerando which one might hear on The Simpsons. One of the more punkish tracks, certainly, but not distracting from a bizarre harmonic progression. 8/10 3: I'm Eating in Bed: This one is a lot of fun. This one is much more proggish, but still has the plain silliness of Cardiacs. I certainly enjoy it. 9/10. 4: Is This the Life? Well, this song dates the album as the eighties. The production levels are very new wave and the progression is more straight ahead pop then the other songs. It's fun, but not that great. 6/10 5: Interlude: A bunch of trombones playing "heroic" sounding chords. That's it. 5/10 6: Dive: Another favorite of mine. Again, the punk's showing here, but the complex weaving melody in the middle makes sure you realize that it's not. 9/10 7: Icing on the World: More of the same, really. Rather similar to the other tracks, and not as remarkable. 7/10. 8: The Breakfast Line: This one is more harsh and dissonant than the previous tracks. Lots of steampunkish sounds in the percussion section make this one weird. At the end a huge and whole-tone guitar line is what takes the cake here. 9/10 9: Victory Egg: An almost Jiggish melody here, repeated over and over again. But it's good. 8/10 10: RES: Certainly my favorite, this was the track that introduced me to the band. A bizzare halting melody in the verse leads into a more traditional chorus and then a nice instrumental section which touts Cardiacs' signature charm. There is a fantastic guitar solo. 9.5/10 11: The Whole World Window: A quiet, ballady type, which my father compared to David Bowie. The only ballad on the album, really. Some might consider it over the top, but I'd say it's one of the most beautiful things they ever did. 8/10. Well there you have it. A wonderful album from one of the more baffling bands in human history. Buy it if you dare.

No wonder people didn't know what to make of the Cardiacs back in the day. With the whimsical vocals and occasional Samla-esque outbreaks of circus-like music on A Little Man and a House on the one hand, the band seem determined to revive the more comedic and satirical side of the RIO movement a full decade after its peak - and yet, at the same time, in their grasp of melody and their knack for writing gorgeously well-formed little songs, and in their willing acceptance of influences from more recent commercial rock genres (punk, post- punk and indie in their case) the band seem to take on the best of the neo-prog compositional approach without necessarily taking on neo-prog motifs and sounds.

No wonder the confused NME reviewers drew comparisions with Fish-era Marillion at the time, a comparison as ludicrous then as it is today. Quite simply, the Cardiacs seem to me to be one of those bands who really exist in a genre of their own - and A Little Man and a House is a fantastic introduction to them. I for one will be exploring more of their output.

This is one of those bands you never seem to hear about, but the once or twice you ever hear them mentioned, they're described as the greatest band in the world. They seem to occupy a nonexistent genre that no one else has really pulled off in quite the same way. This is progressive rock, no doubt, but they are not a prog rock band. This is high-energy, fast post-punk music, but it's not really a punk band either. Some writeups refer to them as "pronk". Personally, though, I think it's a mistake to expect too much of the "punk" side of the equation. I know a lot about both prog and punk, and these guys are definitely much closer to the prog side. In fact, I would never have made the punk connection myself, had I not read it somewhere previously.

Their music is actually quite conventional on the surface, meaning it's not avant-garde noise, nor is it too complex for its own good. The pieces are mostly reasonable length, seem melodic enough, but there's something very strange about them. Each song seems to head in several different directions, an approach that sounds random at first but starts to take shape around the third listen, as if you're starting to understand their "language". Tempo shifts, complex keyboard solos, multitracked Queen-like vocals, moments of almost ridiculous intensity (e.g. the last couple minutes of "Dirty Boy" sound like a swelling finale that never ends), all this is is crammed into a dizzyingly overstuffed double CD. It can get exhausting, but if you're willing to just let it wash over you, and don't try to nail it down tightly into a preconceived stylistic mold, it's a very fun, exciting listen.

I've heard one other album by these cats, and it's not nearly as good as this one. This one, from what I've read, gets the most polarized reviews - either love or hate. I can't say yet that I love it or hate it, but it's interesting enough to bring me back for repeated listens. Now, for example, I'm almost getting dizzy listening to "A Horse's Tail". I think this band could benefit from some more objective analysis that doesn't just buy the stock line of "punk prog" hook line and sinker. It's not. If anything, it sounds like a progressive Midnight Oil or something. Weirdly cool.