After an 18-year absence, Cardinal has finally returned with Hymns (Fire), its sophomore album. To rabid fans of the bi-coastal duo who’d all but given up hope of ever hearing a sequel to their masterful self-titled 1994 debut, that freshman year must have seemed interminable. When its first longplayer appeared on an indie-rock scene buzzing with grunge and punk, it was such a breath of fresh air, some people became giddy from lack of oxygen. To those without a sense of history, it was as though Richard Davies and Eric Matthews had discovered something that had never been done before. Harpsichords and baroque trumpets on a pop album? Preposterous! We love it. No one knows better than Davies and Matthews, themselves, both men with a sense of perspective, that you only have to dig out your copy of the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour album to hear “Penny Lane,” awash in baroque trumpet. Or listen to the two LPs by the Left Banke, a mid-’60s combo that hit it big with “Walk Away Renee” and “Pretty Ballerina,” for a hit of string quartets and harpsichords. Not to say that Matthews and Davies didn’t create something perfectly wonderful, both then and now. The duo will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with them.
Davies: I recently took my eight- and seven-year-old children to see Louise Harrison’s Liverpool Legends play at Barnstable High School concert auditorium. They are based in Branson, Mo., but they’re on a tour. In rock ‘n’ roll terms, it was a tough night. The bloke playing Paul McCartney had a sore throat, and the P.A. was too quiet to rouse much hysteria. My children are a little too young to be excited by a live show and they kept asking, “When can we go home?” after every song, even though we had scored very good seats. Louise gave an introduction to the band that was uncannily like my mother talking. My mum came from Cheshire in Wales, about 20 miles from Liverpool. They sound very alike, and just like my mother, Louise had difficulty knowing when to stop, and had to be escorted off the stage.
However, George Harrison’s painted blue Stratocaster from Magical Mystery Tour (nicknamed “Rocky”) was onstage. A befuddled student won a raffle to hold it and he gingerly carried it off backstage surrounded by its minders.
Despite the sore throat, the bloke playing Paul had a go at “Yesterday” on the acoustic, backed by the string section from the Barnstable High School Band. It was remarkable in that they lifted him up and carried him along. They were note-perfect, tight, spot-on with the staccato notes that identify the arrangement. They were so good they seemed to help him get through the song perfectly. Even better, they seemed to realize they were doing a good job only half-way through the song. They started out intimidated and finished transcendent.
Video after the jump.
