A band to believe in...?
"The word 'Cardinal' comes from the Latin word 'Cardo', meaning hinge, referring to things of fundamental importance. Ladies and gentlemen, please form an orderly queue and prepare for worship".
However tongue in cheek such a statement might be, The Cardinals have continued to cultivate an image of themselves as "a band to believe in", asserting that they are not simply another example of media hype, but set out to be a band who "would write songs that would lift people; straight from the heart, life-affirming anthems that would fill any stadium anywhere in the world." Needless to say then, that their debut double A-side, 'All Talk/All Messed Up' has been hotly anticipated.
And cranked up to full-volume, 'All Talk' and 'All Messed Up' are quite convincing; 'All Talk' makes use of driving, repetitive indie rock guitars that echo atmospherically to give the track its slightly epic and heart-felt, Feeder-esque feel, while 'All Messed Up' tries for all-out anthem status with more chiming guitars, smashing cymbals, a rumbling bass line and much catchier, soaring vocals from (the intriguingly named) guitarist and vocalist, Seven.
Yet despite their somewhat mystical conception and some gargantuan amibitions, passionate and powerful as these songs are, there's not much here that your typical indie fan won't have heard before. However, while they might not quite live up to the hype, there's no denying that 'All Talk/All Messed Up' is an exhilarating and confident example of British rock that's not easy to shake off, and that will certainly appeal to fans of The Killers and Feeder.