There has, of late, been a plethora of bands with "The" prefixes hitting the world’s stereo systems. The Strokes probably launched this revisited revolution, inspiring a very large shed full of bands with a stripped-down sound to call themselves The Somethings. And so you have The Datsuns, The Delays, The Stands, The Killers, The Thrills, The Kills, The Rakes and The Libertines. One day, we’ll have a band called The Definite Articles (Johnny Marr and Co already bagsed "The The" some time ago). Another The Now The Cardinals have joined the list. It’s not hard to see that this band shares more than a prefix in common with some of the above mentioned acts. The Libertines in particular must be prominent in their listening habits. Lead singer, Greg Davies has developed a similar singing style to Pete Doherty – a kind of shambolic whiskey soaked delivery where the lyrics seem to pour out of his mouth. Cardinal Virtues The songs themselves are well formed tracks about facing up to responsibility (or not, see "Run away: you’re just getting bored" – "Runaway"), regret for the past ("I know there’s no place like home, but I can’t go on" – "Coming Home") and self loathing ("call me brave I think I’m thick" – "Back for More"). Depending on the mood, the songs are either accompanied by a jaunty steel stringed strumming that even George Formby might be proud of. There’s an urban busy-ness to tracks like "Stranger Friend" and "Guys in Town". Elsewhere, the songs are more thoughtful and the guitar slows down a bit to match the change. In all seven of the mini-album’s tracks, there’s no escaping the heavy, heavy influence of the headline-grabbing Doherty and his bands. "Guys in Town", to pick just one, could be straight off "Up the Bracket". Cardinal Sins And then things start to get a little strange. Once the seven advertised tracks have finished, The Cardinals provide us with a couple of extra treats(?). First up comes a track that, as far as I can tell, is played entirely backwards. For three minutes. Exactly which track is up for question. Next comes a speeded up version of Stranger Friend". While this may have seemed like a good idea in the pub, full-length versions of songs played backwards or speeded up can get a little boring after a while. Although The Beatles’ "Revolution Number 9" is very inventive, it’s not something you want to listen to every day. The same must be said for these two last tracks. In the Balance The result is a dichotomy of Doherety copyism on the one side (which is fine in its own way) and fairly weird experimentalism on the other (which is a bit less fine). If some kind a happy medium between the two could be found, The Cardinals may well impress yet further. | 
