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The Pond

Started by Almost Yearly, February 20, 2004, 12:51:42 PM

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Almost Yearly



Now the old CARDIACS thread has gone all missing misty history...

And with it, all evidence of my whelking on that 2002 gig meet, heheh...

I thought I'd establish a new sanctuary for the little fishy Whores to float in...

Gracefully slapping their cheeks in laudation, making Everything Easy, yeah?

.

Almost Yearly

So to kick off, and quick before Jim dies, we could have a round of that perennial game, "What other musics are Cardiacs-like?"

Now, I'm going to avoid anything Timmy's had his little mucky hands in, like Shrubbies or of course The Sea Nymphs, and anything else involving Mr.Drake. No, I'm only going to list a handful of very Cardiesque numbers by seemingly unrelated bands. Obviously, we'll be scraping the bottom of the pond before we know it, and already Claire Lemmon's getting a bit too close to source, but there you jolly well go...

(i) BLUR - "The Debt Collector", off Parklife. (Gosh Damon, we really are a Cardy fan aren't we.)

(ii) THE BONZO DOG DOO DAH BAND - "Turkeys", off Let's Make Up And Be Friendly.

(iii) HENRY COW - "With The Yellow Half Moon And Blue Star", off Legend and Leg End.

(iv) THE BEATLES - "Good Morning" and "Being For The Benefit Of Mr.Kite", off Sgt.Pepper.

(v) SIDI BOU SAID - "Slitty Gap" and "Wormee", off Bodies.

(vi) FRANK ZAPPA (The Mothers Of Invention) - "Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme", off Uncle Meat.


And then there's this, of course. Hmm, no, not really. Gazeuse might get interested, because Gentle Giant are floating nearby, and Planet Gong is on the outskirts. But then so are Level 42. Fuck Nell. And putting in Shrubbies gets you Monsoon Bassoon and Sidi Bou Said, fair enough, but Placebo?

Neville Chamberlain

Hullo, what's this? It's a new pond! With gushing fountains and shiny plastic herons and everything! Splendid work, AY!

I shall return.

PS: Level 42???!!! Must be that funky bass or something.

PPS: AY, that Sidi Bou Said album was produced by Tim Smith, so it's positively covered in his mucky paws...

Right, I've returned. How's about this lot for starters...

Mr. Bungle - Stubb (a Dub) and Chemical Marriage

The Incredible String Band - Kooeeaaddi There

NoMeansNo - Slowly Melting

David Bowie - After All

Faust - lots of songs are extremely Cardiacs-esque, can't think of a specific one at the moment...

Almost Yearly

Ré PPS: Doh yeah, that makes sense. I thought "Slitty Gap" was a bit too triumphally familiar.

For Spanish readers, here's a family page I'd not seen before. And I've been trying to trace the meaning of "Shrubbies" - I think they meant it the horticultural way, rather than the supporters of the Bush family way, which is what it means across ..erm.. the pond.


SLEEPY PEOPLE - "Everything", off Typhoid & Swans.



Neville Chamberlain

Quote from: "Almost Yearly"SLEEPY PEOPLE - "Everything", off Typhoid & Swans.

A truly splendid album that!

Here's another:

LAPSUS LINGUAE - The Terse Crimp (quite shouty, but it's got that unmistakeable skewey Cardiacs vibe about it...!)

By the way, there's about a million Residents tracks that are distinctly Cardiacs-esque...and what's the name of that track of Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish album...and then there's XTC, of course...buggered if I can think of the names of actual tracks though...

Oh look, I've just come across this description of Cardiacs on the 'net...

Quote"the Pixies meets the Sweet meets the Toy Dolls meets Uz Jsme Doma meets Queen meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack meets XTC but more punk rock, and more prog".

Nice description actually.

The Plaque Goblin

The Phantom Limbs

I reckon this band is rather Cardiacsesque.

8 full tracks can be downloaded from here:

http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=phantomlimbs

Neville Chamberlain

Oooh thanks for that, Mr. Goblin. I shall "check it out" forthwith.

Here's something else no Cardiaddict should miss...

http://www.deepturtle.net/zerga/detu1.htm

They're from Finland, which is all the proof you need that they're completely hatstand.

But my band of the moment is Vancouver-based Pigment Vehicle. Sadly, they've split up and their records are woefully obscure, but any Cardiaddicts simply must try to get their hands on their music by hook or by crook! This from a gig review...

QuoteNow, if Closed Caption Radio are math rock, then Sidney B.C.'s Pigment Vehicle are advanced calculus/pi to nine decimal points/so you wanna be a rocket scientist? rock, and, if the mark of true evil were precision, then these three guys would be the rulers of hell. How do you practice this stuff? How do you play it? How could you possibly dance to it? It's it! What is it? It's it! What is it?

Tolan 'Snotfinger' Macneil plays guitar the way Anthony Burgess writes books: in a style totally and unequivocally his own. He creates new scales, unheard-of modes and repetitive stanzas, a bit like Robert Fripp has been doing for years. Colin MacRae may be the best bass player I have ever witnessed. [ed. And Darren plays bass!] He did everything: dissonant harmonics, blisteringly fast runs, and riffs of hairy fire. All this while singing. I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't there! Drummer Jason Bonneau is also brilliant. He, too, while singing.

There were more stops and starts here than at a Boredoms show. People beside me were saying, "I'm exhausted just watching them." The songs were sung in a meter that can only be described as discombobulated, like a record skipping. Beginners might just have to be packing some serious Dramamine, 'cause the seas are mighty mean in Pigment Vehicle Land.

...and some more words...

QuotePigment Vehicle started off with a challenge from their drummer: "We're going to test you, to see if you can dance to this funky shit; if you can't, don't worry, cuz we can't either!" No doubt. Now, originally I thought PV to be an odd band to put on a bill with NoMeansNo, as for years PV seemed very much to be a NoMeansNo clone band -- still good, mind you (get a copy of 1993's Perfect Cop Mustache, if you can), but still very NMN-ish. Well, not no more! Where NMN are actually quite melodic, of late, PV have gone completely out there. Long epic songs (think back to NMN's "That's Sad" and "Real Love" for reference) and very angular -- and complicated -- music.

You'd think that this 'progressive punk' would be losing people, but, no: all around me people were nodding along and muttering, "yes, yes" to themselves. Not bad, especially considering PV were playing only new material. A few people tried to dance -- only a rather hyped-up jive seemed to work to this "funky shit" -- and eventually a pit got going. The crowd's support is not totally surprising: PV do an excellent job of playing their anguished, intense songs, and they are a TIGHT band.

...and here's a review of their absolutely incredible album Independent Women Are So Damned Good, which is available quite readily on the net if you shop around (be sure to click the sound sample up the top of the page)...

http://www.dropd.com/issue/31/CD/PigmentVehicle/


Almost Yearly

Mmm, plenty of tasty chewy grist to the mill there, chaps.


Quote from: "Dirty Boy"I'm still after Little Man And A House..., Songs For Ships And Irons and On Land And In The Sea...
I think if you've got the first and last of those, plus Sing To God, you've got the pillars in place. Ships And Irons and Heaven Born, whilst brilliant, naturally, are less seminal I think, and Guns is quite Sing To God III really. That might be sacrilegious to say, but well, you gotta hate unquestioning fanboyism ain'tcha. Ahem. I'm still after A Little Man too - only got it on tape.

Come on, Dirty Boy, who were you? Like I said to Jim, I'm just too old for change.



Pilf

I'm coming to swim in this snowy cold Cardiacs pond with the other little fishies.

I'm a bit late but I'm passionate and friendly.

Cardiacs are, quite simply, the best band in the world.

Other things that are a bit cardiacs-y?  I have to agree with the Lapsus Linguae mention up there (there is a certain chord sequence in The Terse Crimp which is exactly like Cardiacs's Signs), Devo get me going in a similar way sometimes, Gentle Giant, Stars in Battledress (although I think our Tim produced their album so that is probably void in this context), early-ish Zappa (by the way, anyone got the Jon Poole album of Zappa cover versions? It's an essential listen).

And that's enough for now. I will hyjack again later. Been listening to Shrubbies and Guns all day today.

Dirty Boy

Nooooooooooooooo!  don't let the pond stagnate!

Now would probably be a good time to ask what Shrubbies are like, seeing as i spied one of their albums floating around.Are they more Sea Nymphs than Cardiacs? and doesn't Sarah Smith Have something to do with them?

Pilf

I think Sarah *used* to be involved in Shrubbies, but when they were called Shrubby Veronica, IIRC. Bill Drake was also in them then, and left when Sarah did. Shrubbies were produced by Tim Smith himself and had Sharon Shaddington (backing vocalist on Guns and stuff) and Craig Fortnam in them, and they are ace! A bit more Sea Nymphs than Cardiacs just due to the female vocals, but they are a lot less medieval and more Cardiacs-like bendiness.

Lovely.

Now... Bill Drake was interviewed on Resonance FM a few weeks ago and I have an mp3 of it (it's ace, they play Shrubbies, Lake of Puppies, Cardiacs, and talk all about the beginning of Cardiacs and when Bill joined). BUT a) no where to host it, and b) i'm on dial up, but i am sure I can work something out to get it to people who would be interested. [/url]

Neville Chamberlain

Hmmm, that interview would be here...

//www.camberwellcarrot.com/resonance_bill.mp3

It's conducted in a café in Greenwich and so is occasionally a bit tricky to listen due to all the chomping, clattering of cutlery, and general background banter...

Nearly Annually

Ooh, nice. Later. I was just preparing this answer to Doity Boid.

Memphis In Texas is a lovely, lovely album. There's just one track I sometimes skip, but that's only because *SPOILER* Mr.Fortnam sounds like Paul Merton. Sarah does lead vox on one very sprightly track, and plays her sacks on most of the rest. Sharron sings sweetly all through, until the last track where she breaks into full scream and I usually cum. It's all more singy songy and approachable than The Sea Nymphs, I think. I don't fully agree with this bloke, but it's a fair enough review:

QuoteTHE SHRUBBIES  
"The Shrubbies"  
Merlin Audio  
MER97028CD  
(CD-only EP)  

Should I name a shrub? Probably a blackberry bush on this occasion. Convoluted, stubborn, furnished with tricky little thorns so that you have to be careful how you approach it...but also blessed with tangy little knots of piquant fruit which make the effort and the odd scratch worthwhile.  

The Shrubbies are yet another branch of the Cardiacs family tree, with Sharron Saddington and Craig Fortnam (both of whom have done time in Lake Of Puppies, William D. Drake's genteel "acousticardiacs" band) joined by two bona fide ex-Cardiacs, Dominic Luckman and Sarah Smith. Unsurprisingly, the influence of Cardiacs (or their acoustic Sea Nymphs alter-ego) has left its mark on the music. Four complex leaping songs, swinging through an adventure playground of sophisticated eccentric harmony, based around Craig's dextrous acoustic guitars and Sharron's fluffy chirrup (though it's Sarah's sax and keyboard riffs, as fat and jolly as laughing Buddhas, that you tend to remember). But Cardiacs music is clenched, neurotic, compulsively driven, while listening to the Shrubbies is much more of a relaxing activity: more like bouncing up and down on a deep springy pile of autumn leaves.  

This is sort of like The Sundays might sound if Kevin Ayers was in the driving seat: innocent but wise as a tuned-in child listening to the wind, with a dollop of Caravan/Canterbury breeziness stirred in alongside a seasoning of Early Music and kitchen-folk singalong. It reminds me of nothing so much, though, as great lost London hopes The Wise Wound, some of whose visionary acoustic-psychedelic outlook they share. Excepting the surreal Barrettised "Sabled Fur", these songs tap directly into nature, caught up in the passage of seasons ("Carefree Clothes"), mainlining jumpy sap for hormones, and fascinated by the moment ("Perfect Present", with its mariachi keyboards and sax). Most of all, they're driven by the sheer animal spark of life, in particular on the intricate spiny "Body Cried Alive" with its dark stretchy mellotron riffs and epiphany of survival: "spiral down to the ground / like a seed that flies through the air / and affix myself to the ground / crying I AM ALIVE! ALIVE!".  

Small and marvellous, like the delicious shudder in the daylight when the sun and the clouds do their dance-of-the-seven-veils thing.  
 
(DANN CHINN)  
(from here)


By the by, aren't the sleeve notes on On Land And In The Sea the funniest anywhere ever. "So-and-so does the PR. No-one knows or cares what PR is - he just made it up to sound important, and he's not important at all. So-and-so did the engineering. He also has a little dinghy, and sits in it like a wanker. We call him "dead soon" just to hurt his feelings." I'm paraphrasing of course.

Neville Chamberlain

It's one of those bizarre anomalies in life that I do not actually own The Shrubbies album Memphis in Texas...until now, that is! Well, I've just ordered it anyway. Thanks for the reminder!

I remember seeing them way back when and being extremely impressed, especially by Craig Fortnam's guitar playing and his general multi-instrumentedness. I also remember thinking that some of the songs sounded like Christmas carols...

Needless to say, it was a blissful experience.

Neville Chamberlain

To prevent this beautiful pond from stagnating before anyone's had a chance to admire it...

Claire Lemmon was interviewed yesterday on resonancefm. Here's some info I've shamelessly pilfered off of the Cardiacs mailing list...

QuoteAmongst other things Claire talks about her time in Sidi Bou Said, recording albums with people like Tim Freise Green and Tim Smith, and what the future holds for Eva Lema. The show will also feature a couple of previously unheard tracks including one from the short lived "Ventolin" project (a collaboration with Jon Poole and members of the Monsoon Basoon).

It can be found here //www.theorchestrapit.com/radio (click Claire Lemmon).

I, for one, would be interested to hear what those "recordings" with former Talk Talk bod Tim Friese-Green are like...maybe they play them during the interview, I don't know, I haven't listened to it yet...

I'm not usually one to bandy about unsupported conjecture and hearsay, but I have heard that Jon Poole has "offically" left Cardiacs to join The Wildhearts and that Jon's replacement comes in the form of the mighty (and spectacularly bouffant) Kavus Torabi, he of Monsoon Bassoon fame and who played guitar more than capably at those recent Garage gigs, which a certain fish round 'ere took it upon himself not to attend, the silly fucker.

Mind you, this could be old news by now, I don't know...

Actually, it might not even be true. A quick trip around the internet has yielded absolutely nothing to substantiate this rumour, but I thought I'd chuck it out there, see if any fishes bite...

Pilf

poo, I thought that would happen but I hadn't heard 'officially'. Damnnit. Kavus is good but he's not as random as Mr Poole, and I guess he doesn't have as sweaty a head and doesn't smell of sperm. This is what we expect from Cardiacs guitarist. Saying that, he was GREAT at those gigs in London (some of the best Cardiacs gigs I've ever seen those).

Ta for the Clare link, downloading that now.

I wonder if that gig in April is happening? I'm guessing not. It was rumoured on the Org mailing list that the great ones would be supporting Fantamos/Melvins in London in April but I suspect that it couldn't be sorted out.

Neville Chamberlain

Quote from: "Pilf"I wonder if that gig in April is happening? I'm guessing not. It was rumoured on the Org mailing list that the great ones would be supporting Fantamos/Melvins in London in April but I suspect that it couldn't be sorted out.

It doesn't look too hopeful to be honest. I've looked around various places on the net (including Patton's www.ipecac.com) and there's no mention of any of these bands being in the UK in April. Ho hum.

Hope it works out though (even though I wouldn't be able to make it anyway...)

Nearly Annually

Hm, damn shame - everything still crossed though, until it's definitely not on. That "certain fish round here" has indeed been awfully lax with regard to recent Cardy action, and needs spanking, probably. (Tell you what though, my 3D Cardy Buddy didn't make it to the Garage gigs either, and he only lives in Middlesex. We're just getting too old and responsibility-laden and, in my case, far away. Something should be done.)

Thanks for that, Jim. Dunno about this Braby bloke - I've got plenty of my own shitey teenage cassette recordings without having to listen to his too.

Ms Lemmon sounds nice. It's funny, years ago I hated "bloody indie girl bands."

Quote"I'm not in awe of many people ... but when I first met Tim, I couldn't speak."

I'll miss Mr Poole, if you're right. He signed the dot on the i of my Cardiacs shirt.

elderford

After the kind invitation to visit, I'd thought I'd drop by this thread.

I am woefully out of date with Cardiacs now.

My initial experience was going to see Marillion at Cardiff when I was a young shaver (before they became dangerously popular with Kayleigh and were still a metallers band) around 1985 or 86.

The support band was the very poorly received Cardiacs, in all their military splendor, Champagne and Confetti finale.

So bad infact that Fish came on stage after they had withdrawn to bollock the audience.

I spent most of the rest of the gig out in the foyer talking to the Consultant, hastily buying the only available merchandise, my prized cassette copy of The Seaside.

There then followed several years of writing to them and receiving suitable daft handwritten letters from Tim, and doodle adorned ones from Sarah. To date they are the only band I have been backstage with. The drummer was kind enough after a gig to go and find a pen so I could get autographs, as well as offering our party sandwiches.

I saw them only at Welsh venues, including around the time of the Sunday Sport incest article, when they were supporting It Bites and had to endure the rugby student element at a uni gig heckling them about it.

How our hearts swelled with pride when they performed Tarred and Feathered on The Tube.

Then Big Ship came out, and they even had a good mention in the pop page of The Sun as a hot tip for imminant stardom. Shortly thereafter The Herald of Free Enterprise disaster happened and it killed the single.

...and then we drifted apart, my brother still remains faithful.

Nearly Annually

Quote from: "elderford"my prized cassette copy of The Seaside
You fucker. My umpteenth generation one's knacked. *Sigh* Gina Lollobridgida / A Wooden Fish On Wheels.

What musics have you progressed to now, matey? I use the word ironically, of course ;-)


The only time I saw Tim backstage he already had his trousers off. I was tongue tied, naturally, and brain tied too. All I could think of was how disappointed I was with his socks. Not Tim enough, were they.

elderford

Oh, I got into The Fall and so there isn't really any hope for me now. I'm insufferable as I know I am a fan of the greatest ever band, blah blah, Mark E Smith is god, etc.

It has always saddened me that Cardiacs band numbers reduced and they never became huge. Probably one of the only times I have seen a support band and within three numbers known that I was in the presence of genius.

I've got the vinyl white label/cover of the live at Reading Festival official bootleg stuffed with their letters knocking around somewhere, but most of my collection has drifted over the years (including that autographed photo).

Neville Chamberlain

Quote from: "elderford"Oh, I got into The Fall and so there isn't really any hope for me now...

Oh, it is possible to be both a Cardiacs fan and a Fall fan! I am a living, breathing example of one of them (OK, well I'm a much bigger Cardiacs fan, my Fall heyday is some years back now but I still listen to them regularly and fully acknowledge their genius etc etc...)

Neville Chamberlain

Continuing the Cardiacs-related run on resonancefm, brothers Richard and James Larcombe of the excellent Stars in Battledress (and Defeat the Young, who I thought were Monsoon Bassoon related but it seems not) are being interviewed on Full Circle. This from the website...

QuoteThe Orchestra Pit presents 'Full Circle' Mark Braby
 Mark Braby talks to Richard and James Larcombe, musical collaborators of pastoral acoustic outfits Stars In Battledress and Defeat The Young. Richard and James will bring along with them or play their earliest known/available recording or composition. From there, we will discuss how they came into music and, specifically, how they wrote and/or recorded their very first piece. In addition, we will talk about subsequent projects. This will culminate in a "cover" version or treatment of the very first recording, thus addressing the past and coming Full Circle.

Let's hope that this time we don't have to ensure the presenter banging on a radiator or something.

Heh, indeed.


I'm meaning to get a sampler of snippits of prime Cardiacs tracks
together, and hook it on a fishhook and cast it here in the SEa.
I always think the selection of songs they've chosen to showcase on
www. .com

is a little bit lacking in the rookie-accessibility-wise department.


I hope they don't send Jim round.

Pilf

I have great trouble in listening to those Full Circle shows due to work, is anyone able to mp3 the Stars in Battledress show? I hope someone on the Cardiacs list does as they have been worthy of laudation so far.

The Bill one was fantastic. What a gem he is, and amazingly talented.

Quite posh sounding, wasn't he. Actually, with their arty and Kingstony background, I often wonder if the Smiths' Lahndahn accent isn't a little bit, you know, affected. Mmm... sacrilicious, again. Maybe that's why Damon Albarn likes them, teehee.

Pilf

No, Bill is very, very posh but I don't think the Smiths are. <apparently true> He's Nick Drake's cousin (or some such relation </apparently true>

Now, some kind soul on the Cardiacs mailing list uploaded an mp3 of the Stars in Battledress 'Full Circle' from Resonance FM - anyone got a link to the mp3 here? I know that Jim posted the Bill link before (is it you who recorded it? If so, Thank you!), any chance of the SiB one? Thought I'd post here before de-lurking on the chat list to ask for it ;)