Review Summary: LSD is built on its trials and tribulations, but after 26 years the album turns out to be one of 2025's strongest releases.
Before we talk about this one-hour-twenty-minute behemoth, for those reading this who don’t have a scooby who Cardiacs are or what they sound like, they first formed in 1977 under their original moniker Cardiac Arrest, in Kingston upon Thames, England, eventually settling on the name Cardiacs In 1981. Their sound is an idiosyncratic and complex web of styles and genres: from post-punk and punk to avant-garde, art-rock, pop, indie-rock and psychedelia, to name a few. A terse analogy would best describe Cardiacs’ sound as Frank Zappa playing with a circus, in a theatre play, on a bag load of acid. It’s weird, challenging, and complex, with niche appeal, but if you’re able to appreciate what Cardiacs do, their catalogue definitely has a lot to offer you. For me, the fascination with the band stems from observing how they process and write music; their inimitable and distinctly “Bri-ish” arthouse sound is achieved with punctilious analysis and experimentation with dissonances and ugly sounds, in a way very few acts have the stomach for, instilling these ideas into conventional songwriting perimeters no less. The end result creates this choking hostility and tension that permeates throughout every song, yet, the ingeniousness comes from the band’s approach, which translates all of that uncomfortable atmosphere into something jovial, gaudy, and uniquely energetic. Their seminal double album
Sing to God is probably their most recognisable album to date, simply for the fact it so thoroughly perfects this dichotomy of omnipotent energy and hideous-yet-beautiful soundscapes. With all that being said, it should come as no surprise that their entire discography is a very interesting and, mostly, rewarding experience, if you’re brave enough to take the plunge down this intricate and weird rabbit hole.
Now that we’re up to speed on Cardiacs’ sound, there’s the question of why the band hasn’t released an album in twenty-six years, and for the uninitiated who have blissfully dabbled in
LSD’s excellent singles – soaking up all those glorious, saintly, uplifting and off-kilter melodies – you might be shocked to learn the actual story behind
LSD is one shrouded in hardship, tragedy and ominous irony, as well as the love, kindness, and reverence that went into bringing this album together. Cardiacs’ ninth studio album was originally in development as far back as 1999, correlating ideas and parts over the next decade – in between various tours and other commitments – which formed
LSD’s shape. By 2008, Tim had recorded various vocals and instrumentals for the album, but suffered a terrible cardiac arrest which triggered strokes, causing brain damage, and eventually leading to dystonia, a rare and debilitating neurological disorder which left Tim paralysed down one side of his body and unable to speak. Understandably, Cardiacs went on hiatus after the dreadful incident, however, Tim was still able to oversee and approve
LSD’s creative ideas (except final mixing, due to his passing) – a slow process that would have Tim pointing at an alphabet board to communicate with his brother, Jim, and Kavus, until his passing in 2020. After Tim passed away, Jim Smith and Kavus Torabi had everything they needed to set to work on completing the album, finally bringing this decades-long project out into the world in 2025, with the help of Oceansize’s Mike Vennart and Rose-Ellen Kemp covering the remaining vocal duties.
And so, after decades of waiting, fans are finally able to listen to an album most assumed would never see the light of day. What makes
LSD particularly special is the fact that, while this is a posthumous release, Tim’s fingerprints are all over this thing, and have been right up until his death in 2020. So for anyone worried about this being some kind of cash grab, fear not, this is an authentic Cardiacs release, carefully and lovingly pieced together by Jim Smith, Kavus Torabi and the rest of the team.
LSD is a cathartic mixture of various eras, from the phenomenal opener “Men in Bed” which hearkens back to that beautifully powerful hymn style on
Sing to God – complete with brash chords and a sloping brass section – to the labyrinthian and psychedelic brain-masher “Skate”, which apes the obtuse writing style
On Land and in the Sea had a penchant for. “By Numbers” has the same enthusiastic punk drive you’d find on
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window, while the Vennart-led banger “Woodeneye” does a prudent job of advertising the fact Mike is the right guy to carry the mantle. To me the single does a stellar job of representing that slanty juxtaposition of discordance and catchiness – similar to a track like “Core” on
Heaven Born and Ever Bright – with consummate ease. Couple that with the
The Seaside post-punk drenched “Spelled All Wrong” and there’s plenty of variety and homage to previous eras to help this mammoth run-time tick over nicely.
Of course, I’m not going to sit here and tell you this is an easy listen. Given the sheer breadth and complexity of the record, as well as the nature of Cardiacs’ sound in general, this isn’t going to be for everyone. That being said, if you’re the type of listener who likes plenty of meat on the bone, the hours you can pour into this is colossal. Cardiacs are renowned for their deep, multilayered songwriting, and there’s so much on here to unearth. It’s simply impossible to have an opinion on this thing after just one listen – it requires at least half a dozen listens before you can even feel comfortable with the arrangements and flow, let alone look into exploring the minutia of the album. Suffice to say there’s plenty of gorgeous, melodious and euphoric passages on here if that’s your preference, a plethora of rip-roaring solos and winding tempo changes if you’re a listener who likes complexity and musicianship in their music, and an abundance of wacky weirdness that’s sure to satiate people weary of vapid, mainstream slop. Overall, if you’re one of the Cardiacs fans who’s waited over two-and-a-half decades to get a hold of this thing, you aren’t going to be disappointed. If you’re new to the band, I’d recommend going straight to
Sing to God, but this isn’t a bad place to start either.
In short,
LSD is a poignant celebration of nearly fifty years of music, and one hell of a send-off for a true pioneer of the industry. RIP Tim, and thank you to Jim and the rest of Cardiacs for making
LSD a reality, as it’s certainly turned out to be one of 2025’s best releases.
