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jackhammer · 02-09-2009, 12:51 PM

For toretorden:

Cardiacs - Sing To God (1996)

So what do we have here then? This is supposed to Pronk. Yes you read right. That is Prog Rock fused with Punk. Quite ironic considering the battle that ensued in the late 70's between these genres and their ensnaring of the youth. Fast forward 20 years and it's perfectly acceptable to fuse these genres together. Or is it?

An album divided in two parts with a more energetic first half giving way to a more focused second half. Here is the first problem. It's too damn long. 22 tracks is just too much for what the band want you to hear and your patience wears out. The first half is all energetic pop songs played with a Punk energy but interspersed with damn annoying keyboard work- hey look we are wacky and so different! Errrmm no you are not. Despite all the trappings and indulgent splashes of eccentricity, the first half is fairly forgettable with most of the tracks played at the same tempo.

It's not awful but The Residents it isn't. I mention them because they seem to be a huge influence. Whereas The Residents sound like no one else around, cardiacs try far too hard to sound like no one else on the planet and fail. Sometimes sounding like a crazed version of ELP. There is not enough space in their music and it is all too cluttered.

The second half is a lot calmer and focused. This is much more beneficial to the band as they do gain their own identity and are seemingly not out to impress. Keyboard work is there to add texture and not overpower. The riffs are cleaner and more hook orientated. Again though, the aforementioned album's length means that you don't fully appreciate the second half. If the album was indeed released as two separate volumes then the rating may well have been higher. 5/10

02-09-2009, 12:51 PM	#108 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	For toretorden: Cardiacs - Sing To God (1996) So what do we have here then? This is supposed to Pronk. Yes you read right. That is Prog Rock fused with Punk. Quite ironic considering the battle that ensued in the late 70's between these genres and their ensnaring of the youth. Fast forward 20 years and it's perfectly acceptable to fuse these genres together. Or is it? An album divided in two parts with a more energetic first half giving way to a more focused second half. Here is the first problem. It's too damn long. 22 tracks is just too much for what the band want you to hear and your patience wears out. The first half is all energetic pop songs played with a Punk energy but interspersed with damn annoying keyboard work- hey look we are wacky and so different! Errrmm no you are not. Despite all the trappings and indulgent splashes of eccentricity, the first half is fairly forgettable with most of the tracks played at the same tempo. It's not awful but The Residents it isn't. I mention them because they seem to be a huge influence. Whereas The Residents sound like no one else around, cardiacs try far too hard to sound like no one else on the planet and fail. Sometimes sounding like a crazed version of ELP. There is not enough space in their music and it is all too cluttered. The second half is a lot calmer and focused. This is much more beneficial to the band as they do gain their own identity and are seemingly not out to impress. Keyboard work is there to add texture and not overpower. The riffs are cleaner and more hook orientated. Again though, the aforementioned album's length means that you don't fully appreciate the second half. If the album was indeed released as two separate volumes then the rating may well have been higher. 5/10 __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”