On Land and in the Sea-themed button
Seaside-themed button
Dedicated to the beautiful music of Tim Smith. (Rest in peace, champ. You've always been the leader of the starry skies. You may not be here in this dreaded toy world, but you're still in our hearts.)
The SeasideAround early 2025, I was obsessed with weird music. Y'know, stuff like Daniel Johnston, Wesley Willis, BJ Snowden and others. It led me to discover other weird musicians, some of them whose songs I've enjoyed. Then came late-March, and the YouTube algorithm recommended Tarred and Feathered's music video to me. Intrigued, I clicked on it.
Strange video, this one. The music itself was also just pure chaos... I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but then I grew to love it. Then I gave R.E.S. a listen. This, along with Tarred and Feathered, would go on to be some of my favourite Cardiacs songs EVER.
It led to an obsession that bled into my real life. I wanted to learn how Tim Smith himself created all this black magic, and I experimented with using odd time signatures. Even started using the Lydian scale in my compositions which I have not even released yet.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment, the Consultant's Flower Garden!"
A delightful little film they made in collaboration with Urban Picnic (Nick Elborough and Mark Francombe), Seaside Treats is a compilation of 3 music videos by Cardiacs... in premise, that is.
There are even a few short comedy bits here and there, and they tell us all about these lovely little lads. Also some absurd visuals. And flashing colours. Don't say I didn't warn you.
A great little site by Nick Elborough about the making of Seaside Treats. Warning that some of the videos on the page use a VERY outdated version of YouTube's own video player. Didn't help that they used Adobe Flash, which had died around the end of 2020 due to security vulnerabilities.
On Land and in the Sea-themed button
Seaside-themed button