Founded in 1979 by brothers Tim and Jim Smith - isn’t it nice that their name’s rhyme – the Cardiacs, or as they were originally known, Cardiac Arrest issued a pair of tapes, the latter being Toy World. With its splotchy cover art and oddly constructed songs, the effort worked to push the band to the forefront of what was eventually to be recast as the darker side of new wave. Such prominent focus on keyboards, though, makes the band’s earliest punk allegiance a bit murky, perhaps necessitating a reappraisal of how proggy psych acts from the early seventies influenced this ensemble.
Anyway, Toy World, mounts more than a couple extended compositions, at times a bit reminiscent of Magazine and Howard Devoto, another Brit who kinda loved keyboards. The Cardiacs’ “Is This The Life” isn’t exactly cut from the same mold as the former Buzzcocker’s second, lesser known band. But with all those keyboard washes functioning as a song’s main melodic figure, it’s difficult to separate the two.
Some quicker, more aggressive songs, though, sit alongside those proggy farces. For the brief moments “Over And Over And Over And Over” picks up the tempo, the song’s punk of the highest order. When it’s wallowing in its keyboard excess, there’s not too much to pick up on and enjoy. At times, even the guitar noodling becomes obsessively shallow, necessitating the skip button. And thank God for that button.
There’s probably less listenable stuff with the Cardiacs name affixed to it. I wouldn’t wish a listening session on my worst enemies. But when the band rallies, even if it’s only for thirty seconds in the middle of a five minute song, there’s a decidedly anxious and necessary feeling to the whole thing. Repeat listens are going to reveal some vague nuances that should please, but the recording qualities shoddy enough to turn off potential listeners. Your call.