Artist: Cardinal
Title: Self-Titled
Label: Empyrean/Wishing Tree
Format: CD
Price: $13.00

Back in the mid-‘90s, prior to resurgent interest in the Brian Wilson sound, and before it was hip to like Paul Williams, soft pop, and Carpenters tribute CDs, Flydaddy Records released the father of that decade’s Orch Pop movement, Cardinal’s self-titled album. The album didn’t garner much public interest until the solo popularity of the duo’s members, Eric Matthews and Richard Davies but by that time the CD was effectively
out-of-print, the decade was turning, and Ebay was selling original copies for big money. I held on to mine but am happy to own the new remastered CD re-issue with 11 bonus tracks.

Australian Davies was a member of The Moles when he met American Matthews in Boston where they began the album’s collaboration and Matthews brought structure and orchestration (and THAT voice!) to Davies’ songs. The opener, “ If You Believe in Christmas Trees” begins with Matthews’ characteristic baritone whisper and by the end the trumpets are blaring. This is a fair blueprint for the rest of the album’s original 10 tracks. “Public Melody #1” is a beautiful minor-key instrumental featuring harpsichord and string that leads into “Dream Figure,” the only Matthews self-penned track on the
original release and a song that would comfortably fit on any of his three solo albums.

Among the eleven bonus tracks are four demos, a b-side, and a handful of outtakes that provide a glimpse into the band’s development from lo-fi collaborators to baroque pop pioneers. Highly recommended to all Eric Matthews fans.

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