Send "Cardinal " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Richard Davies and Eric Matthews are, in a way, unsung chamber-pop heroes. When they released their eponymous debut as Cardinal in 1994, it flew under the radar, but it ended up becoming one of those hidden pop gems. Its understated, lush yet gauzy orchestration, its penchant for near-neo-classical flourishes, and its bittersweet, dreamy feel made it an often arresting listen. Cardinal is a perfect headphones record, because it’s best heard to alone, as a one-person maudlin listening party. It’s insular, perhaps, but also comforting and much less arch than, say, Belle and Sebastian. But Cardinal also gained its notoriety as much through its rarity as through its quality. Davies and Matthews, apparently at odds during the making of the record, split right after the album was released, and Cardinal was no more. So there was some lore around the album, some feeling of a band whose potential went unfulfilled. It became popular, in certain circles, because it wasn’t popular at all, because the band imploded after the album’s release. But now Cardinal is back with a sophomore record, Hymns, 18 years after the duo’s debut. So all of a sudden we get to hear any of that lost potential that got away from them back in the mid-‘90s. As pretense-free pop song writers, with a knack for theatrical (if slightly muted) flourish, the return of Davies and Matthews should be a welcome one. Early songs like opener “Northern Soul” and “Carbonic Smoke Ball” invite us back into their sonic world with confidence. There are no reticent first steps 17 years later. “Northern Soul” is blessed-out psych-pop at its best. The guitars ripple out in a sweet, early-morning haze around the dreamy vocals. The layers pile up and strengthen each other, so while the song is unassuming, its hook embeds itself deeply, and the chorus takes on a subtle flourish that makes the quiet pop song more than it first seems....full text |
| Avclub |
| Cardinal once was a big fish in a small corner of the indie-rock pond, thanks to Richard Davies and Eric Matthews being pegged as innovators of modern-day orch-pop. The group’s 1994 debut received the kind of reverential accolades—from, among others, The Flaming Lips, who later acted as Davies’ backing band—that would make many artists just want to leave well enough alone. Davies and Matthews, who parted ways in the mid-’90s to explore uneven solo careers, also didn’t get along, and their improbable reunion seemed doomed a few years ago when the old artistic struggles that originally blew the project up once again derailed their plans. But now Cardinal’s sophomore effort Hymns has finally arrived, and, despite being separated by both time and space—the Australian-born Davies is based in Cape Cod, while Matthews lives outside Portland, Oregon—it complements its predecessor with flavorful horns, harpsichord, and well-honed retro-pop songs, which easily bring to mind ’60s staples like The Beatles, the Bee Gees, and Love. Since he’s the primary songwriter, Davies is also the primary singer, but his nasally delivery is always improved when accompanied by Matthews’ deep croon, and the two match up exquisitely on songs like the shimmery opener “Northern Soul.” Cardinal’s generally gentle temperament is occasionally interrupted by some edgier moments, such as the rocked-out “Love Like Rain” and “Carbolic Smoke Ball,” which was written by Davies—who’s now a practicing attorney—about the first law case he read. ...full text |
| Contactmusic |
| Hymns are a two-piece from the Midlands, fronted by former Blakfish guy Samuel Manville. They are, it must be said, one of the least religious bands to come from the Midlands-don't let Google convince you otherwise. For their debut album, the clever fellas decided that a double sided record on Cardinal Sins and Contrary Virtues was the ideal way to go. I mean, what else were they going to do in The Midlands, act in something by Shane Meadows? Bookended on side A: Cardinal Sins with a 'Prologue' and on Contrary Virtues by, yes, you guessed it, 'Epilogue'. It's a rather spiritual choir doing what choirs do, before they get into the album proper, with lyrics like, "Put your neck in my hands and I'll squeeze it, you feeling queasy yet? Cos you should." Perhaps this is religion in the 21st century; perhaps this is religion by a former Roman Catholic; perhaps this is religion as done by a cutting edge indie band, though I'm not quite sure how indie they are. Maybe, though, it's something more sinister, like an organ player who loves a good neo-classical pastiche and a decent movie soundtrack? These 16 songs breeze by in the same way that all three minute alt-rock songs do. These are tracks that sound slightly familiar but then it's hard to pin point what exactly about them is familiar; is it a certain melody or an entire vocal style? Quite quickly you will notice that these songs start to merge into one another, but then they have tracks such as 'Perseverance' which, with its deep; dirty; tuneless hypnosis, transports you into a different realm; one far from heaven it should be said. The difficulty with +Hymns+ is deciding if they're actually any good or not. It's easy to fall in love with their rigid guitar strumming, analogue drumming, and concept style lyrics which are all pinched together with an under-produced sound. Then again, these are also the reasons why it's very easy to hate them. They have a sound and style which can easily be labelled "hipster" and their purposefully challenging lyrics; "This ain't no martyrdom, I'm fucking confident," which border on obvious cliché for a reason could and no doubt will be called contrived....full text |
Cardinal lyrics
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