Album Review: LSD by Cardiacs

Evidence of what can be done in the face of adversity, the importance of their first album this century is more than its music The story behind the creation of LSD is almost as complex as some of Cardiacs compositions, and in truth probably deserves some kind of documentary. It is a tale of triumph overwhelming adversity, the strength of friendships and belief in music and art, and ultimately a celebration of a life. Essentially, the writing of LSD began in 2007 but with most of the musical ideas fleshed out, frontman and main composer Tim Smith suffered a heart attack and strokes which left him with a condition known as dystonia.

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LSD is built on its trials and tribulations, but after 26 years the album turns out to be one of 2025's strongest releases. Before we talk about this one-hour-twenty-minute behemoth, for those reading this who don't have a scooby who Cardiacs are or what they sound like, they first formed in 1977 under their original moniker Cardiac Arrest, in Kingston upon Thames, England, eventually settling on the name Cardiacs In 1981. Their sound is an idiosyncratic and complex web of styles and genres: from post-punk and punk to avant-garde, art-rock, pop, indie-rock and psychedelia, to name a few. A terse analogy would best describe Cardiacs' sound as Frank Zappa playing with a circus, in a theatre play, on a bag load of acid.

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