11.

Various – Mr And Mrs Smith And Mr Drake S/T

This tape-only album by Cardiac’s members Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D Drake is another teenage favourite of mine which has followed me into adulthood. Rather than Cardiac’s heady mix of intense songwriting, this displays a more traditional bent featuring acoustic guitar, piano, harmonium and reeds. Some instrumental passages on this remind me of Stravinsky, and the doom-blues of track ‘Dergo’ is just such a pure fit for The Wicker Man. There is an almost medieval quality here, and that is something that I would usually run a mile from but in their hands, it sounds so beautiful. I had not realised until recently, how the album has filtered into my work with its use of acoustics and an ability to compose miniature epics from the comfort of my own home.