Search - Cardiacs :: Guns

An astonishing album... astonishing band

Marine Creature | London UK | 08/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you hear the music journalist phrase 'that difficult second album', spare a thought for Cardiacs, a band who have been around in one form or another since 1977, generating around a dozen full length live and studio albums. Unsigned (apart from a month-long spell with Rough Trade) and unsupported by the mainstream press, their creativity and originality has simply renewed itself with each new collection of songs. Over a decade of first-listens of Cardiacs albums, I've expected some sort of tiredness to creep in at some point - after all, how many bands/artists of any kind do you know have kept up levels of interest over such a length of time? Their previous album, 'Sing To God', (originally released as a double cd) I found unfocused and, save for tracks such as 'Dog Like Sparky' and 'Foundling' a little less emotionally intense on first listen,in places too much like what you would expect Cardiacs to sound like, though over the passing months the whole album grew and grew on me (a typical Cardiacs response). But Guns... Guns opens up a whole new vista; it does things that you never heard Cardiacs do before, but in a way that has an unbreakable core of personality. It is at once both more accessible and more experimental than previous albums: it has gone to a new place, somewhere less jerky and frantic but wilder and scarier. The ska rythmns that used to be such an important part of the recipe but were missing from more recent songs are back, but in a mellower, more thoughtful way; the tunes, as ever, are stunning, every one an earworm no matter how complex. 'Clammy Lammy' is the anthem to end all anthems; 'There's Good Cud' and 'Clean That Evil Mud Out Of Your Soul' are pure intricate Zappa-but-English eccentric joy. And '(Junior Is A)Jitterbug' literally had us sitting with our mouths open - a song of two halves, the first classic intricate, anthemic Cardiacs, the second an hypnotic, ecstatic hymn-like round that defies comparison to anything, maybe minimalist systems with a deeply romantic heart. You have to ask yourself if the near total rejection of Cardiacs by mainstream music press in the UK, and the resultant somewhat poverty-sticken, underground existence of Tim Smith and the various extremely talented musicians that make up what everyone calls Cardiacs' Family, has preserved the creativity of Tim, 'new boy' Jon Poole and William D Drake (who despite being an 'ex-' Cardiac, has never quite left). The shame is that so many people are gasping for music like this - music that manages to be experimental... with soul..."

Another Cardiacs diamond.

Professor Z | Winnipeg, MB Canada | 02/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There can be little argument that Cardiacs are the most brilliantly inventive and underrated group of "rock" musicians in existence. Throughout their long career (around 20 yrs) and a number of personnel changes they have produced a body of work astounding in its originality, musical power and ingenuity. Driving force Tim Smith, deranged genius who has been referred to as the Beethoven of rock music, is able to consistently come up with musical compositions which are startlingly innovative, yet immediately recognizable as the unique Cardiacs style. Ludwig van Smith excels at melding martial rhythms, exultant melodies, hyperkinetic time signatures and unforgettable sonic images into a framework of childlike wonderment and terror. The band has always comprised a group of amazing musicians who can take these compositions and turn them into songs of unbelievable cerebral and visceral impact. Their live appeal has been legendary, crossing many musical genre boundaries - legions of avid (rabid?) fans from the worlds of punk, metal and prog rock. Lucky b**tards who've seen the band live - I can imagine weeping while slam dancing! Their record sales, on the other hand, have been abysmal largely due to notoriously bad luck with record companies. Committed fans, like me, have been able to track down most of their earlier CD recordings (10 including a "Greatest Hits" and a "Sampler") through eBay, Amazon.uk, 2nd hand music shops and the All My Eye And Betty Martin website (Thanks Tim!!).



For those of you willing to sample this band's output, "Guns" is a great, accessible way to start - an exciting mix of styles from the Cardiacs' stylebook. There's raw punk - rockabilly - thrash in "There's Good Cud", piano balladry in "Winds and Rains is Cold", anthemic psychedelia in "Jitterbug (junior is a)", hard driving rock (great sax riff courtesy of Mrs. Sarah Smith) in "Come Back Clammy Lammy" and raw emotional power in "Signs" - a diverse collection but all unified within the Cardiacs unique sound envelope. Once you've listened and you're hooked on the Cardiacs sound, try working backwards through their discography. Many claim "Sing to God" to be the band's masterpiece but there is a special place in my heart for every one of their CDs I've been able to get a hold of. If you're enthralled with "Guns" I'd recommend tracking down the "Greatest Hits" CD - a truly astonishing package which showcases the band's genius over a roughly 20 yr timescale. After that - anything you can get your hands on!



God Bless the Cardiacs."

A step back from previous work

tryptikon | Western AR, USA | 06/04/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Improving on the genius that was Cardiacs' previous offering- _Sing to God Parts I and II_, would be like "improving" perfection. So I was not suprised when I experienced a little letdown with this CD. Don't get me wrong though- a so-so Cardiacs album is tons better than 98% of the music that is churned out each year, and this album is no exception. All of the classic Cardiacs ingredients- the outstanding musicianship, wonderfully quirky pop tunes, crazy time signatures, and strange chord progressions- are here in abundance. I just get the feeling that head Cardiac Tim Smith maybe tries a bit too hard to seperate from, and improve upon _Sing to God_. _Guns_ does take on a different flavor with the addition of members from Smith's "discovered" band, Spratley's Japs, making for a fuller sound here than on _Sing to God_. Those musicians also bring on more of a "psychedelic" rock approach to the sound than is evident in previous Cardiacs albums. From the standpoint of "what CD should I start with in Cardiacs' catalog?", this is probably a pretty good pick, but there *are* better CDs in their coffer."