Band: Cardiacs | Album: LSD | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2025
From: Salisbury, UK | Label: Alphabet Business Concern
Cardiacs is a band I’ve mentioned a number of times on this site. For anyone unfamiliar with them, they are one of the most singular and unique progressive rock bands ever. Their early material blended the energy of punk rock with proggy ambition, which occasionally earned them the genre tag “pronk.” And as their career progressed, bandleader Tim Smith’s musical ambitions grew, culminating in 1996’s masterpiece, Sing to God.
LSD is an album I never expected to hear. Their last album was 1999’s Guns, and the first single for this album, “Ditzy Scene” came out all the way back in 2007. But a slow work schedule wasn’t why I doubted this would ever be released.
In 2008, Tim Smith, the primary driving force behind the band, suffered a heart attack which ultimately led to him experiencing some brain damage. Work was immediately put on pause, and numerous fundraisers were held on Smith’s behalf. By 2016, though, the other members of Cardiacs confirmed that LSD was still in the works.
Smith continued working with Cardiacs throughout the late 2010s, but he ultimately succumbed to his health issues in 2020. The band continued to put the final touches on LSD, however, and now it has arrived. And Jim Smith, the band’s bassist and Tim’s brother, has said Cardiacs has “at least” two more albums planned.
The album opens on a big, majestic note. “Men in Bed” has a lot in common with certain passages on Sing to God. Rich synth pads push upward. However, it doesn’t need to be three-and-a-half minutes long, and there’s really not enough going on here to warrant this runtime. They probably could have cut this down to about two minutes without losing much, and this will be a recurring theme on LSD.
“The May” sees Cardiacs dip into their wonky punk roots. The preceding song’s glorious atmospherics poke through on occasion, and I love the subtle touches of synthesizer during the verses. “Gen” flows right out of “The May” and features a great contrast between twangy folk and brash, semi-metallic riffs. The composition is very strong, but there’s something offputting about the production. There’s a lack of auditory definition at moments, with some passages having an unappealing flatness. This issue is something that affected the preceding songs, too, but it’s more acute here.
“Woodeneye” is gritty and angsty, with the Cardiacs’ signature unusual vocal arrangements giving a feeling of unease. This song’s final minute features some really exciting instrumental moments. In contrast, “Spelled All Wrong” has a more deliberate pace and lusher sound. It’s an enjoyable song, but it’s not the band’s most distinctive work.
The production issues are pretty evident on the more maximal passages in “By Numbers”. I like the dashes of bright piano (and the overall composition), but the Mellotron is overbearing. “The Blue and Buff” has a whimsical, folky feel. It’s buoyant, fun, and hopeful; but the arrangement feels too busy. I think this would have been better as a more stripped-back piece. Or at least with less in-your-face production.
“Skating” has a swirling, psychedelic feel, which isn’t something I really associate with Cardiacs. There are some pronk-y passages in it, and it’s an interesting juxtaposition. Honestly, what this song almost reminds me of is modern Gong. Kavus Torabi is a member of this band and Gong, and his influence is evident. I’m not really complaining, as this is one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s just not what I was expecting. This song features a ton of crazy twists as it vacillates between dreamy psychedelia and jagged avant-garde experimentation
“Volob” is peppy and upbeat, and some of that Gong-ish psychedelic flavor is evident here, as well. I like all the odd starts and stops tossed in throughout, and the arrangement is classic Cardiacs.
The nine-minute instrumental “Busty Beez” is the longest song on the album. It fades in slowly, with big, emotive guitars taking the lead. Airy, whistling synths trill in the background, cultivating an otherworldly aura. Despite good ideas in this composition, it’s simply way longer than it needs to be. I wouldn’t say it treads water, per se, but it swims awfully slowly. Cardiacs has pulled off similar things before, like on “Dirty Boy”, but this doesn’t quite have that spark. (Then again, “Dirty Boy” is among Tim Smith’s best work, so it may be a slightly unfair comparison.)
“Lovely Eyes” is about as straightforward as Cardiacs gets. It’s a weird but catchy piece that draws heavily from new wave and post-punk, as well as Tim Smith’s own idiosyncratic style.
Brass and watery guitar lead the way on“Ditzy Scene”. The mood is restrained, and its first two minutes sound like a mellower version of “Atom Heart Mother”. The verses are brash and punchy. The backing vocals have a certain soulfulness to them that is unusual for this band, but it works very well.
“Downup” was released as the first real single off LSD August of this year, and I can see why. It’s jumpy and energetic. It combines Cardiacs’ different sides very well. There are jagged guitar lines and smooth, melodic verses, and the brief guitar solos are exciting.
By this point, however, LSD’s sheer length has already been weighing against it for a while. The compositions are strong enough, but this is just a lot of music, and a lot of the songs sound somewhat similar. “A Roll from a Dirty Place” is a bit more distinct than some others, but it’s not unique enough for me to consider it essential. “Made All Up” is a bit bouncier, but my feelings on it are similar. I know Cardiacs are no strangers to long albums, and I hate to keep comparing this to Sing to God, but the material here simply isn’t distinctive enough to warrant its length.
LSD closes on “Pet Fezant”. It sees Cardiacs dip back into some of their mellower, folk-influenced passages. It features a gradual build-up of more guitars, strings, and brass before finally fading out. This is another song with some good ideas, but it’s hampered by simply being too long.
The first Cardiacs album in 26 years sees the band largely staying in their usual lane. There’s a lot of good music on LSD, but the overall experience is hampered by bloat and some production I’m not nuts about. Despite all that, I’d still recommend it if you’re a fan of the band.
Score: 74/100
The Elite Extremophile 