January 20, 2012

Cardinal - 'Hymns'

This record offers nothing more than a whistleable melody

Album Info

Release Date: January 23, 2012
Label: Fire
Fact: This is the band's first album together in eighteen years.

3 / 10 American duo Cardinal released their sole album of gleaming chamber pop back in 1994. Proudly out of step with the times, it was ignored by most but loved by a few (including Gruff Rhys, who raved about it in NME’s Greatest Albums You’ve Never Heard issue). Now reformed, whatever magic Cardinal once had has evaporated in the intervening 18 years. ‘Hymns’’ wan vocals, arch lyrics and annoying trumpet flourishes make The Shins sound like rugged rock desperados. For a pair of wannabe pop classicists, Cardinal’s cardinal sin is the failure to provide anything approaching a whistleable melody. Most pointless comeback of the year.

Sam Richards

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External Reviews of Cardinal - Hymns

Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Cardinal: Hymns

"In 1994, Eric Matthews and Richard Davies released an influential chamber-pop album under the name Cardinal. Almost 20 years later, they've reunited for its follow-up."