"Arch Garrison are
Craig Fortnam (North Sea Radio Orchestra) – guitars, vocals, percussion.
James Larcombe (Stars in Battledress, William D Drake, North Sea Radio Orchestra) - organ, synth, piano.

Having garnered much critical...

Craig Fortnam: voice, guitars, piano, Philicorda organ, monosynth, percussion
James Larcombe: melodeon, dulcitone, wind organ, Philicorda organ, monosynth, piano
special guest:
Pete Aves: pedal steel guitar on 'Open My Eye'

This is one of those albums that seems simple and acoustic-oriented and straightforward and when you really listen to it, you realize that it actually is anything BUT simple. Conditionally recommended.

“North Sea Radio Orchestra's Craig Fortnam and...

The Cardiacs are a great, long-lived UK outfit, founded in 1977, who combine punk energy with very odd cabaret leanings and a fondness for musical complexity that undoubtedly got them gobbed on even more than usual during the 'age of punk'. They didn't...

Not just released, but SPITEFULLY released!

"A collection of Cardiacs’ earliest works recorded between the years 1977-1979. Spitefully compiled and released on the black market without the band’s knowledge by an embittered associate for personal gain. Now Archive Cardiacs gets the digipac works done on it to reflect it's incredible contents. Simply a ‘must have’ for the collector of toneless drivel."

A fine place to start if you just want a sampling of what they do. But then, of course, you will want them all...

The Cardiacs are a great, long-lived UK outfit, founded in 1977, who combine punk energy with very odd cabaret leanings and a...

For reasons I have never quite understood, and maybe they never understood either, Guns, released in 1999, was the band's last studio album.

"Guns…the perfect companion to ‘Sing To God’. Cardiacs extend the blueprint ever outwards with a 12 song colossus, bursting with brilliance, fire, and beauty. Guns… the last album of the Jon Poole-era line up, swims reedier rivers than Cardiacs have previously ventured into. Won’t you become enchanted in the warmth of the ghostly ‘Jitterbug’? Paint a star on...

As it says in Wikipedia: " The power quartet established: Heaven Born and Ever Bright and the Rough Trade debacle (1991–1994)." These guys just could NOT catch a break...

"This excellent album, originally released in 1992 begins with a specially commissioned hymn in glorious praise of THE ALPHABET BUSINESS CONCERN and continues with an unrepenting splendour guaranteed to lift the bloated heart and swollen lungs from even the lowest ebb. Originally marketed by Rough Trade. The methods employed...

Well, at least there’s no dogs or heads on the cover...

“THE ALPHABET BUSINESS CONCERN wishes it to be known that, whilst maintaining complete control of his artistic output, we have disassociated ourselves ENTIRELY with Tim Smiths illness and, in fact, fail to recognise it as an excuse for not fulfilling his duties. We must however INSIST that History continues to be made. Smith continues to refuse to answer his telephone or correspondence of any kind and would appear by...

I know that Cardiacs have a lot of live albums, but they really shine live and, despite it's name, this is an excellent quality live album by the sextet, recorded at the Reading Rock Festival in front of a huge audience on August 24, 1986. It was...

This has some of their great singles from their great early period, along with the mini-album The Big Ship, all of which are now only available in their original versions here!

"THE ALPHABET BUSINESS CONCERN, having a keen eye for a waspy and...

Around the time of their great release The Seaside and opening for Marillion in the UK, this originally cassette-only release emerged. It was first released on CD in 2004 and I certainly never saw it before now.

"A Cardiacs spin-off project...

"The Sea Nymphs is an album recorded as a side project by Tim and Sarah Smith, and William D. Drake of the band Cardiacs, originally known as Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake. It was originally only available through the fan club and at concerts, but was later released generally as a CD in 1992."-Wikipedia

"The rumours that three key members of Cardiacs both past and present, namely Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake had been secretly recording material under the name of "The Sea Nymphs"...

Note that Jon Poole, Bob Leith and Bic Hayes are all ex-Cardiacs and Damo Waters is ex-Spratleys Japs!

"An absolutely superb new album from one of the UK's most underrated mavericks. Imagine Robert Wyatt, High Llamas, Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne, and Todd Rundgren all in one magnificent human. That's Crayola Lectern. Superb arrangements throughout, and in common with all the above I suppose, a sense of adventure and playfulness is evident throughout. One of my favourites of the year so far"...

Who is William D. Drake? William D. Drake was a member of Cardiacs during one of their very greatest periods (there have been more than one) and he also collaborated in the writing as well as making the under-acknowledged Mr & Mrs Smith and Mr Drake...

As the universe reels in pain from the reality, yet becomes used to the idea, of a 'post Cardiacs world', music is still being created by some of the ex-members. And the more I hear, the more I realize what a talented crew manned that ship. William D. Drake was a member of the group and this is his fourth and latest solo album. You can definitely hear traces of Cardiacs in his work, but there's a lot more too. It's mostly songs, but every now and then you will be surprised by a rather intricate and...

"Yew's Paw was an album of thirteen unaccompanied acoustic piano pieces. All of these were original Drake compositions, although inspirations included classical composers such as Debussy, Rachmaninov, Paderewski, Prokofiev and Hindemith as well as jazz, Walt Disney films and Edward Lear). As with Briny Hooves, the album was well received. John L. Walters reviewed Yews Paw in The Guardian, describing it as "piano miniatures whose 'light classical' veneer peels back to reveal a tough musical heart."-Wikipedia

"You may know Stephen EvEns as the drummer behind Graham Coxon. You may know Stephen EvEns as the occasional sticksman behind The Damned. You may know Stephen EvEns as the rhythmic backbone of William D Drake’s band, Charlotte Hatherley, and, for one brief week, Cardiacs. You may even know him as Stuffy accompanied by his Fuses.
Now get to know Stephen EvEns the songsmith, the maudlin geetar plucker and blistering noisemangler. Get to know of his embittered heart (latterly mended) and the disturbed...

Craig Fortnam - voice, guitars, organ, synth, piano, percussion
Nicky Baigent - Bb clarinet, bass clarinet
Luke Crooks – bassoon
Harry Escott – cello
James Larcombe – piano
Brian Wright - violin, viola
Hugh Wilkinson – vibraphone

“All at sea. Anchorless. Adrift. Ark is the first album to be released as a Craig Fortnam solo album. As the composer for North Sea Radio Orchestra and Arch Garrison, Craig has always made music with meaning, emotional heft and depth of...

Knifeworld is the long worked on solo project by Kavus Torabi, of Cadiacs, Guapo and Monsoon Bassoon. It's a very English, very modernly English progressive release - it's not filled with mellotrons and it doesn't sound like it's from the 70s, but it is full of good songs with great hooks and huge depth in terms of what he does with the song forms. If you like and appreciate Cardiacs, you'll definitely like this; although it doesn't sound anything like Cardiacs, it mines similar ground. Nicely done....

Nicola Baigent - clarinet, bass clarinet, recorder
Charlie Cawood - bass guitar
Sharron Fortnam - vocals
Keepsie - drums, handbells
Richard Larcombe - lead vocal, guitar, handbells
Rhodri Marsden - piano, harmonium, electric piano, bassoon, saw, harpsichord, vocals
Josh Perl - synthesiser, vocals, handbells

Without really copying them in any way other than just musical density, somehow, this reminds me tremendously of the work of the 5uu's(!!) So, if you want..

"The band/group(led by Craig Fortnam) have been described as 'unique english chamber music' which, at best, only describes the tools of their trade, you'll hear chamber strings, choral music, english folkiness, romantic poetry, experimental organs...

Nicola Baigent: Bb and bass clarinet, flute
Luke Crookes: bassoon
Harry Escott: cello
Craig Fortnam: vocals, guitars, bass guitar, piano, organ, synth, percussion
James Larcombe: piano, various keyboards, hurdy gurdy
Chantelle Pike: vocals
Brian Wright: violin and viola
special guest
Chlöe Herington: recorder

“The North Sea Radio Orchestra (NSRO) is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra (plus chorus). Formed i

This is a hand-numbered edition of 999 copies!

“This concert is a beautiful event, for me. These musicians seem to me to have have really grasped what my songs are about; but at the same time, created an entirely fresh way of putting the music together. I feel so honored and so grateful.”-Robert Wyatt, March 2019

“One of the greatest albums of the 1970s, beautifully reimagined and re-written for orchestra. I have listened to Rock Bottom hundreds of times, and thought I was familiar with...

This 'lost album' was produced by Christian Hayes (Cardiacs) and mixed by Tim Smith (Cardiacs).

"A very long time coming Everything comes round again. Some things never go away.

Words that were weighted, wait, hang in the air, unwind..

Even though he released it and it might be considered 'cheating' by some of this world's harshest critics, this is Kavus' favorite album of 2014.

"Stars In Battledress is a British duo. Brothers Richard and James Larcombe write and perform...