Cardiacs--where to start?

[Phlakaton]

Been listening to the Day Is Gone EP a lot today (just got it!), and currently playing Joining The Plankton pretty much on repeat.

It dawned on me that another artist I've been listening to might appeal to Cardiacs fans -- Lemon Demon.

The album Spirit Phone is high-energy wonky pop with a strong 80s undercurrent, and it's full of great hooks and catchy tunes, replete with that stop-on-a-dime precision that Cardiacs are so adept at. It even has some pretty bizarre (and entertaining) lyrics.

https://lemondemon.bandcamp.com/album/spirit-phone


Another band worth mentioning is the Manchester group Mothertongue. adap2it started a thread about them, so I was beaten to the punch. There's definitely a bit of Cardiacs in their DNA.

https://mothertonguemusic.bandcamp.com/album/unsongs

Never heard the Lemon Demon - really cool. Thanks!

[Phlakaton]

Nice! I had no idea you had this kind of talent up your sleeve.

Can't wait to see the next one.

Thanks for the compliment! Cheers

[Polypet]

Who cares what he thinks? Its negative, and he comes off as arrogant and condescending. This music deserves respect whether you love it or not. He can have himself a squat on the cosmic utensil. There - that's my review of him.

Cosmic utensil... Cosmic utensil...

[Polypet]

I disagree.

Certainly, anyone who thinks Cardiacs tunes are lacking harmonically in any way or that the chord changes are not uniquely interesting or otherwise "not classy" is someone not particularly knowledgable about music. The interesting progressions are one of the hallmarks of their style, imho. Sheesh.

[chalkpie]

Kim's here! Everybody say "Hi".

"Hi Kim".

[chalkpie]

Cosmic utensil... Cosmic utensil...

Isn't it funny that those two words together will forever have FZ's stamp on them - I love it. Pretty great.

[PeterG]

I was one of the lucky few who had the Day is Gone EP before the album came out. Lucky also that at the time I bought it on 12" vinyl as well as CD.

[PeterG]

Cosmic utensil... Cosmic utensil...

My turn
Comsat Angels....Comsat Angels.

Next? Chalky you're up!

Be advised, there is one 2-word nonsense band-name that will take you straight to Mornington Crescent!

[aith01]

Just got the 2015 edition of The Seaside and Tim Smith's OceanLandWorld in the mail from Wayside yesterday. Planning on listening to them both at work today.

I'm excited to hear them finally, but a bit sad that there's even less Cardiacs music to explore than a year ago when I first started.

[Phlakaton]

Just got the 2015 edition of The Seaside and Tim Smith's OceanLandWorld in the mail from Wayside yesterday. Planning on listening to them both at work today.

I'm excited to hear them finally, but a bit sad that there's even less Cardiacs music to explore than a year ago when I first started.

OceanLandWorld ---- HOLY SHIT. SOrry but that is my current favorite Tim music. Cardiacs light in a way - but damn it puts me in the best mood - I could be standing in lava melting and I'd have a damn smile on my face with that playing

[aith01]

^^^^



So far I've only gotten through the first five tracks, but I'm really enjoying it so far. Especially Rat Mice Lice Time and This Grounds Town -- as soon as those were over I had to go back and listen again. The latter sounds like it could have been on a Blur album.

[chalkpie]

OceanLandWorld ---- HOLY SHIT. SOrry but that is my current favorite Tim music. Cardiacs light in a way - but damn it puts me in the best mood - I could be standing in lava melting and I'd have a damn smile on my face with that playing

Yep.

[aith01]

Ocean Shipwreck is an awesome tune. Did Tim play those drums? Or are they programmed?

Regardless, it's a rather entrancing piece of music.

[aith01]

Okay, so I was totally not prepared for how good Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld would be (although the title should have clued me in )! This is stellar stuff; much more of a pop record, but in the best kind of way.

Ocean Heaven is one heck of a closing track. I was quite thoroughly caught off guard and beaten senseless by that one. Tim Smith's music reminds me of what it was like to get excited as a teenager when I discovered new music. It's nice to know that can still happen when I'm in my thirties.

[chalkpie]

Every track will hit you just a bit harder on some days, just like any Cardiacs albums. That's the way it all goes with his work imo. One of them is "This Ground Town"........What an exceptional tune.

I have the feeling that if Tim had endless time, money, and energy, that he could have turned out these albums like snapping his fingers. Endless creativity.

EDIT: allow me to mention how much love I have for "Savour", "Englands", and "Veronica.." as well. OK, consider it mentioned

[chalkpie]

Tim Smith's music reminds me of what it was like to get excited as a teenager when I discovered new music. It's nice to know that can still happen when I'm in my thirties.

This.

[Kavus Torabi]

For me, Swimming With The Snake is the not only the most beautiful, heartbreaking, otherworldly and psychedelic song Tim has ever written, it's the the most beautiful, heartbreaking, otherworldly and psychedelic song I've ever heard by anybody.
Something absolutely not of this world happens during it, as if the very laws of physics have been changed and some part of 'a world beyond this one' has been allowed to leak in.
The whole piece seems to shimmer with a wordless universal truth that I can't quite put my finger on.

[Phlakaton]

Every track will hit you just a bit harder on some days, just like any Cardiacs albums. That's the way it all goes with his work imo. One of them is "This Ground Town"........What an exceptional tune.

I have the feeling that if Tim had endless time, money, and energy, that he could have turned out these albums like snapping his fingers. Endless creativity.

EDIT: allow me to mention how much love I have for "Savour", "Englands", and "Veronica.." as well. OK, consider it mentioned

England's is my favorite right now. I cant even describe what it is... the melody? Just sublime. Yeah Kavus... Swimming With The Snake is on some otherworldly level... got pissed the other night and just let it wash over me on repeat.

[chalkpie]

Allow me to interrupt for a moment and invite/encourage you pondies to go check out the 'Ennio Morricone' thread at some point when you have a chance. I am completely and utterly blown away by his music right now, and since you all have a taste for sublime melodic and harmonic material a la Mr Smith, there might be something you might dig by Mr Morricone (or not). Only a suggestion. This is a pretty huge discovery for me, and its actually taking away from my Cardiacs listening - ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. I won't bug you again on this, I promise.

[chalkpie]

England's is my favorite right now. I cant even describe what it is... the melody? Just sublime. Yeah Kavus... Swimming With The Snake is on some otherworldly level... got pissed the other night and just let it wash over me on repeat.

Yeah, "Englands" does something special to me. "Swimming..." took me a while to 'get', but its also extremely magical indeed.

"Savior" also contains some of the most gorgeous chord changes I've heard, and the manner in which he gets there is just beyond good (those modulations!).

The chorus of "Veronica" has stayed with me for days on end, and its a fun one to learn on guitar (and quite playable).

[PeterG]

In the late 70s, I was scouring the small record shops and even shops like Selfridges for Spaghetti Western/Ennio M albums. Selfridges was a hidden gem back then before the huge Virgin and HMV megastores because it was one of the few places in Central London that had import albums on the shelves. And then hearing Cardiacs music in the late 80s, I felt and heard the similarity between Cardiacs and EM in the type of creativity i.e. melodies and chord progressions that were so achingly beautiful and wonderful.

[Phlakaton]

Allow me to interrupt for a moment and invite/encourage you pondies to go check out the 'Ennio Morricone' thread at some point when you have a chance. I am completely and utterly blown away by his music right now, and since you all have a taste for sublime melodic and harmonic material a la Mr Smith, there might be something you might dig by Mr Morricone (or not). Only a suggestion. This is a pretty huge discovery for me, and its actually taking away from my Cardiacs listening - ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. I won't bug you again on this, I promise.

If anyone is worthy of laudation - Ennio is it. I've been a fan since I was a kid. A true badass.

[chalkpie]

In the late 70s, I was scouring the small record shops and even shops like Selfridges for Spaghetti Western/Ennio M albums. Selfridges was a hidden gem back then before the huge Virgin and HMV megastores because it was one of the few places in Central London that had import albums on the shelves. And then hearing Cardiacs music in the late 80s, I felt and heard the similarity between Cardiacs and EM in the type of creativity i.e. melodies and chord progressions that were so achingly beautiful and wonderful.

If anyone is worthy of laudation - Ennio is it. I've been a fan since I was a kid. A true badass.

Great to see the love fellas! I also see/hear some parallels with Ennio and Tim - both have REAL amazing gifts.

Check out the beginning of this, and at around 0:20 don't tell me that the cadence there doesn't sound like Tim - well actually the other way around But you get my point - it has that Vaughan Williams 'thumbprint' in there that is so prevalent in Tim's soundworld, but written by an Italian instead of an Englishman. Maybe Sir Kavus would know this - but I wonder if Timmy was a big fan of Ennio?

[loosefish]

I get the same 'funny feeling' from some of Ennio's melodic choices and timbres as i do from Tim's music (and Kate Bush's and Robert Wyatt's).

It'd be interesting to know what composers (if any) Tim was influenced by. Vaughan Williams seems like an obvious one and iirc part of The Lark Ascending was used in the old nineties 'vile countdown' concert intro. I'd say that Bartok and Messiaen wormed their way in somewhere as well, but that's a pure guess.

I've never really got on board with Charles Ives for some reason. Anyone give me some guidance on what his best stuff is?

[JAMOOL]

It dawned on me that another artist I've been listening to might appeal to Cardiacs fans -- Lemon Demon.

The album Spirit Phone is high-energy wonky pop with a strong 80s undercurrent, and it's full of great hooks and catchy tunes, replete with that stop-on-a-dime precision that Cardiacs are so adept at. It even has some pretty bizarre (and entertaining) lyrics.

I've been listening to Lemon Demon since '03! It is so strange to see him mentioned on a Cardiacs thread - I liked his music a lot but I wouldn't exactly recommend it. But this new disc is the real deal, dude is a huge Cardiacs fan apparently and I think that influence is finally starting to manifest itself. His prior discs are pretty good too, but man, this is AOTY material.