Cardinal

Richard Davies and Eric Matthews made one record together in Boston, this self-titled little epiphany that garnered great critical acclaim and a number of closet cultish freaks over the band, myself included. It's just been rereleased on Empyrean Records, with another eleven extra takes and new ones. Bright with harmonies, an aesthetic for recording clean as new silver, this is one of the few pop records that really does stand to repeated play without wearing thin. Simple notions in the lyrics, odes to natural beauty, with Davies' sharp nasal rising over Matthews breathiness. The two were introduced by drummer Bob Fay, who played in Deluxx, a MA jazz-informed rock band, and was the drummer for Sebadoh. He adds great shuffling beats to things here, and on some of the extras, a bit more bombast so the sound approaches Davies' earlier work in The Moles. Sublime, and downright peace-inducing when frazzled by the day to days of living in the '05.