A Few of my Favourite Things
This page is a list of some of my favourite pieces of music, along with explanations as to why I value them so.
This album is an all-time favourite of mine; truly eclectic and almost incomprehensible at times, it shows the peak of Tim Smith's songwriting abilities (something which, due to an awfully sad incident, we may not see again for a while). The songs effortlessly switch up genre, tempo and time signature at the drop of a hat. There are soft, synthy songs like Fairy Mary Mag and Wireless, rock anthems like Dirty Boy, and the raging punk sound of Fiery Gun Hand and Angelworm Hero.
The sound is completely unpredictable, yet still sounds distinctly Cardiacs; mainly due to some common elements between the songs, such as the solo from Odd Even, major usage of whole tones and the Lydian scale, and the so-called 'Cardiacs Cadence', which is prolific throughout their discography. This album is a testament to what music can accomplish, and is most definitely worthy of laudation.
Info on Tim Smith's Condition
In 2008, whilst coming home from a My Bloody Valentine gig, Tim Smith experienced a strong heart attack that led to a stroke. He has since mentally recovered, but has been left with severe dystonia, a disease which limits his mobility and dexterity. All purchases of Cardiacs music and merchandise go towards his recovery, and there is an ongoing fundraiser here, should you wish to donate.
Further Update
Unfortunately, Tim Smith passed away a short while ago, marking a sad end to an extensive and completely unique career and period in music as a whole. Rest in peace, Tim.
A beautiful example of what happens when you combine progressive rock and jazz fusion. Each instrument (a wide variety, including the likes of a trumpet, a theremin, an EWI and an electric violin) blends seamlessly into the others to produce a vast, vibrant soundscape, where each line is elevated by the others. The solos allow each musician to demonstrate their virtuosity and complete mastery over their instrument, and the instrumentals often include Zappa-like homorhythmic sections and licks. The album does stretch on a bit, but this is due more to the sheer number of ideas expressed, rather than any unneccessarily long tracks that could have been shortened. There are a few tracks that act as breaks between the particularly long tracks, such as Birdwatching and Shatner's Lament, which aid listening to the whole album in one go.
Bonus Live Experience!
I saw this band live in Manchester in a crowded club. The live experience is incredible, absolutely full of energy, excellent crowd engagement and some mind-blowing solos (some of which were not on the original album, such as the 3-minute drum solo Joe Fadem played towards the end of Chromology). I would definitely recommend seeing them if you have the chance.
velocity : design : comfort
Sweet Trip
20031:13:33
Favourite tracks: Dsco,
Chocolate Matter, Design: 2: 3
A lush mix of IDM/Glitch, shoegaze, dream-pop and noise rock. The album starts out with tracks like Tekka and Dsco, which embody solely one genre (IDM and shoegaze respectively) and slowly mixes them together over the course of the runlength, until in the final few tracks they finally combine completely. There are walls of noise that can be found in tracks like Chocolate Matter, soft harmonies in more melodic tracks such as Dedicated and almost breakcore-speed drums in Tekka and Pro: Lov: Ad. This album is excellent as both background music and to listen to for the sake of the music itself. Certainly give this a go if you're a fan of electronic music at all.