Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith (guitar and lead vocals) and his brother Jim (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. One of Britain's leading cult rock bands, Cardiacs' sound folds in multiple genres including art rock, progressive rock, art punk, post-punk, jazz, psychedelia and heavy metal (as well as elements of circus, baroque pop, medieval music, nursery rhymes and sea shanties), all of which was topped by Smith's anarchic vocals and hard-to-decipher lyrics. The band's theatrical performance style has often incorporated off-putting costumes and make-up, complete with on-stage confrontations. Their sound and image has sometimes made them unpopular with the press, but they have amassed a devoted following.
Tim Smith was the primary songwriter, noted for his complex and innovative compositional style. Up until 2008, he and his brother were the only constant members in the band's regularly changing lineup, which stretched from four-pieces to sextets and octets involving extensive use of keyboards, saxophone, chorus vocals and percussion in addition to a guitar-band core. The band created their own indie label, the Alphabet Business Concern, in 1984 and found mainstream exposure with the single "Is This the Life" from their debut album A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (1988). which was followed by On Land and in the Sea in 1989. Heaven Born and Ever Bright (1992) featured a scaled-down line-up and a harder edged, metal-leaning sound; some of which was retained in the more expansive subsequent albums Sing to God (1996) and Guns (1999). In 2008, Tim Smith was abruptly hospitalised with dystonia resulting from a cardiac arrest and stroke in 2008, which caused the band to go on hiatus for seventeen years.
Smith's illness brought increased and belated critical recognition to Cardiacs, with several music outlets calling Sing to God, in particular, a masterpiece. His death in 2020 saw a raft of tributes on social media. Many rock groups including Blur were influenced by Cardiacs' eclectic music, which appeared on streaming services in 2021. As Cardiacs Family & Friends, band members performed the music of Tim Smith at several tribute shows entitled Sing to Tim in 2024. Smith had left a further Cardiacs album, LSD, unfinished due to his illness. Following his death, Jim Smith and assorted band members completed and released the album by 2025, and assembled a new line-up of Cardiacs for live dates (with the possibility of several more new albums to follow).
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