Cardiacs - Sing to God

Alright guys, I acquired this album the other night so I could finally dive into the Cardiacs. Maybe the fact that I even have to ask this means the band may not be right for me, but is there any sort of helpful entry point or rock to cling to as I dive in? I've listened to the whole thing twice, but its so damned packed and overwhelming that its been easy to just let it all wash over me. Its obvious you guys are hearing something in this, but I'm not sure I have a way in just yet.

It'll take a good while to chew on, especially if it's your first exposure to the band. It's kind of an exhausting listen because of it's length, scope and sound.

I'd guess that certain songs will present themselves as more approachable at first: Manhoo, Dog Like Sparky, Bellyeye. If you have a natural appetite for their kind of music it'll keep drawing you back, it's not the ideal first record in my book but it's probably a good overall litmus test.

lolol mares nest what is with your display name?? love it.

:) I was looking for some RWR music and got this generically generated google result and it tickled me.

Yeah as much as I love the album I don't know if StG is the best starting point; I guess you have to take each disc seperately, as it is basically two different albums. Disc 1 I would say is more accessible

Okay 10 songs, any album, any side project as an introduction, have at it.

1. A Little Man and a House
2. In a City Lining
3. All Spectacular
4. Signs
5. Bellyeye
6. Anything I Can't Eat
7. Angelworm Angel
8. The Duck and Roger the Horse
9. Buds and Spawn
10. R.E.S.

a primer, aside from stuff on STG...

Home of Fadeless Splendour
The Duck & Roger the Horse
The Breakfast Line
To Go off and Things (live Maresnest version)
Big Ship
Gibber and Twitch (Garage Concerts version)
RES (A Little Man... version)
Ideal (radio session version)
Will Bleed Amen
The Everso Closely Guarded Line
Cabinet (Spratleys Japs)

1. Buds And Spawn
2. Dog Like Sparky
3. Appealing To Venus
4. March
5. Manhoo
6. Fanny
7. Veronica in Ecstacy
8. Duck & Roger The Horse
9. It's A Lovely Day
10. Dirty Boy

A capella version of Insect Hooves on Lassie, pretty interesting.

http://soundcloud.com/david-minnick/insect-hoofs-on-lassie

Whoa! I am a total sucker for a capella arrangements and this is a thing of wonder.

(my first ever gig was seeing the Swingle Singers in Swindon Wyvern, how is that for rock'n'roll)

Two more a capella Cardiacs covers on their Soundcloud too! This has made my week. (Lassie is the best but the others are pretty cool too)

Hi David - I'm Mark Cawthra, and I'm here to tell you that I'm sitting with Tim right now playing him this fab version - He wants me to tell you how much he likes it, and he says he's really flattered that you would do this and do it so well. He says sorry he would write himself, but cannot so I'm doing it for him. As for me, I freaking love it too x

Haven't heard any updates on Tim for a good while, I wonder if things are getting any better for him

youre right that the other two covers aren't quite as good, but they definitely made me want to pull out STG again, I missed this album

I don't think Tim will recover, he is in a pretty bad way unfortunately.

nothing's really came out lately, last I heard was Kavus (nearly two years ago!) saying he's still functional but has good days and bad days, kind of sounded like one day he may recover but I guess if it hasn't happened by now...

https://soundcloud.com/david-minnick/sets/the-180-gs-cardiacs-covers

^ ...which had already been posted a few posts above. Go me! At least a bunch more covers have been uploaded since.

The greatest album of all time.

(A capella covers don't appeal though so I haven't listened to them)

Yeah, the greatest album of all time.

However, this covers project can't be dismissed. I think it took me around 15 seconds of their Fiery Gun Hand before realising this as the insane and beautiful labour of love it truly is

and by 'their', I mean 'his'. What a guy

Am trying to get these guys to do a show on STG, it's a little left of their general criteria but they gots my money now, so I hope they'll go for it.

http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com/

How did Dirty Boy not win this?? I feel like if more people had heard it, we could have just skipped the end of the 90s and started at the millennium.

Is that the one that sounds like a Queen song? Do they all sound like Queen songs minus the riffs and hooks?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/22/e7/73/22e7731c2b2cce035c0f99759a4fec5a.jpg

Dirty Boy is one of the greatest achievements in rock history obv obv but c'mon Flap Off You Beak and Dog-Like Sparky are two of the most utterly, intensely beautiful pop songs conceivable. The three are my favourite three tracks on my favourite album so it's hard to speak about them rationally but I don't have too much problem with the result here. One more Dirty Boy vote would have perfected it

it's no De Futura

they're just a bit too "vacuum head tree" for me to get into

I say this as a staunch Magma fan and, when necessary, apologist: Dirty Boy is better than De Futura

we can have both, maybe. although let me extend hearty cheers to dominique & #teamtim

i think Dominique was also a fan of the "vacuum head tree" style

xp -- were you around for that hilarious episode in the annals of Sp0ckm0rgue?

no, but vacuum head tree sounds about right

basically, it was a classic example of narcissism of small differences and involved Paul C0stur0s mis-naming and maligning a band beloved of another poster, and then more people jumped in and took sides.

team not-Paul: we don't see why you dislike this band, they are totally like your bands and other bands you like
team Paul: we may be nerds and dorks, but we aren't so nerdy and dorky to get into vacuum head tree, sorry bro

which band?

vacuum head tree!!! (except with words two and three reversed)

The idea that someone could listen to say, Bellyeye, and think "This has no hooks" is fucking crazy to me.

I've tried listening to some vacuum tree head and they sound like an improv jazz ensemble clumsily attempting to prog out. Two things you could never accuse Cardiacs of being was loose and jazzy.

If anything it's hard to notice how complex rhythmically and melodically they are, since they're so catchy.

And I have no idea where this Queen comparison comes from, I mean Eat it up Worms Hero could possibly be compared to Bohemian Rhapsody if it was compressed to 2:30 minutes and melted in the microwave, idk.

proncke

think nakh and sarah might be prodding the tiger here tbh ultros

Don't tease the octopus, kids

Hey all, so there's a Podcast called 'Dig Me Out' where they analyse and discuss a lot of lol 90s US and Brit indie/college rock type albums, you can donate money to make a request and I did this a few months back nominating STG.

They had never heard or heard of Cardiacs before (I guessed they might not have) I thought it would be good fun and potentially interesting. It's just been released.

http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com/

Listening now and they're getting it, I'm quite heartened

Direct link for the Flash-less: http://digmeout.podbean.com/mf/web/wq5ktj/225-cardiacs.mp3

:D they're grappling well

one of them has Eden On The Air as his favourite - he's the one who's struggling a bit more, though

& then he suggests that Dirty Boy could stand to lose its second half :O :( :'( X(

"There's a lot of instruments on this record, and I think they all play on every song"

hah

this is really great. seems like they're at a loss to explain how the album is even possible. I think they nailed it beyond the whole "wow this is crazy!" angle which is awesome. yeah that comment about "Dirty Boy" is pretty wtf but I think they mostly got it. thanks for doing this!

also lol @ the guy saying "there's that one song that's really really cool, but then there are these clanging syncopated guitars that don't even sync up, does that really need to be there?" with respect to "Fiery Gun Hand" I believe