"Vermin Mangle" is a song by English rock band

Cardiacs Cardiacs are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith (Cardiacs), Tim Smith (guitar and lead vocals) and his brother Jim Smith (bassist), Jim (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. One ...

. The song was written by

Tim Smith Tim, Timothy or Timmy Smith may refer to: Musicians * T. V. Smith (born 1956), British singer and songwriter *Tim Smith (Cardiacs) (1961–2020), English singer-songwriter and frontman of Cardiacs **"Tim Smith", a 2009 song by the Wildhearts from ...

, who played it live during solo performances in 2000 and 2006, and was supposed to be the final track of the album ''

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

'' which was left unfinished after Smith had a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in 2008. Following Smith's death, it was released as a free

download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...

on 1 September 2020 through the band's

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

page as the second single from the album, to mark his funeral that same day. Intended as a thank you to the group's fans, the song features the

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

and

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

instrumentation that drove much of the band's work. "Vermin Mangle" received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, with some commenting on the lyrics and sombre atmosphere. The full song was heard on bootlegs shared by Smith to keep testament of its progress, and the studio version first shared publicly on 30 July 2020 during

Steve Davis Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, DJ, electronic musician and author. He dominated professional snooker in the 1980s, when he reached eight ...

Phoenix FM Phoenix FM is a community radio station serving the areas of Brentwood and Billericay, United Kingdom on 98.0FM and online, covering an area of over 140,000 people. History The station was formed in 1996 and has been broadcasting full-time on ...

tribute show.

History

only played "Vermin Mangle" live a handful of times during his rare forays into solo performance in 2000 and 2006. Playing Upstairs at the Garage for the ''

Organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

'' in 2000, Smith was nervous. He looked up at the ceiling and grinned, which Sean Worral attributed to an audience of rats "running back and forward above his head on some kind of skanky lattice thing suspended from the rafters", meaning he had premiered the song to actual

vermin Vermin (colloquially varmint(s) or varmit(s)) are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases and destroy crops, livestock, and property. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included vary by regi ...

. Smith shared bootlegs of the full song with ''Organ'' to keep testament of its progress. Cardiacs recorded a version of "Vermin Mangle" for their album ''

'' in 2008, completing it before Smith recorded vocals for the other tracks. It was supposed to be the final track on the album, which was left unfinished after Smith had a

in 2008. The song was only remembered as "Vermin Mangle" because it was Smith's working title, and was known for years as "Dream Dress" before its release.

Release and promotion

In 2007, Cardiacs released "

Ditzy Scene "Ditzy Scene" is a song by English rock band Cardiacs. It was planned as the opening track and lead single from the band's unfinished sixth album, ''LSD''. It was released on Org Records, and was the band's last single to be released in frontman ...

", the lead single from ''LSD''. Whilst performing on

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Tape, and also w ...

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

radio show, Smith confirmed the upcoming release of two singles from the album, scheduled for August and November 2008. After his heart attack and death in 2020, the album remained unfinished. The studio version of "Vermin Mangle" was first shared publicly on 30 July 2020 during

' Tim Smith tribute show on

. The song was officially released on 1 September 2020 to mark Smith's funeral which was held the same day. It was released by the band's record label, the Alphabet Business Concern, as a free

through their

page at midnight, intended as a thank you to the group's fans. It was their first single and release of new material since "Ditzy Scene" in 2007.

Critical reception

"Vermin Mangle" was met with positive reviews from

. Reviewing an unreleased version of the track on one of Tim's cassettes, Sean Kitching of ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' called it "a beautiful piece of music, initially serene and eventually epic", comparing it to " In the Neighbourhood" by

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

and the funeral hymn "

Morning Has Broken "Morning Has Broken" is a Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and was inspired by the village of Alfriston in East Sussex, then set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune, "Bunessan". English po ...

". Kitching noted that the song's opening lyrics — "Think of a way, then always go your own way / Uncustomary evenings, legendary mornings / Louder than drums and softer than a cloud that's been blown away" — were a good "closing summation on a unique life well-lived". Following its release, He commented that the song was "totally Tim Smith", bringing attention to "the myriad little sonic details that make up the vivid picture it conjures in the listener's mind". According to ''

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, before broadeni ...

'''s Andrew Sacher, the song features the

and

instrumentation that "drove the band's most classic work". Sacher wrote that the song was "on the more somber, atmospheric side" but "unmistakably the work of Tim Smith". Chloe Ross of ''Backseat Mafia'' named the song a "poignant farewell". Dom Lawson in ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'' included the song in his Essential Playlist.

Personnel

According to Eric Benac: *

vocals, keyboards, guitar * Jim Smith vocals, bass *

Kavus Torabi Kavus Torabi (born 5 December 1971) is a British-Iranian musician, composer, record label owner and radio broadcaster. A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the psychedelic, avant-garde rock field (primarily as a guitarist). Tora ...

vocals, guitar *

Bob Leith Robert G. Leith (born 17 April 1964) is an English musician, the drummer for the Rock music, rock band Cardiacs from 1993 and Blurt from 2005 to 2008. Leith played in secondary school bands in Milton Keynes inspired by the punk ethos and co-formed ...

drums, vocals * Cathy Harabarasvocals, percussion *

Melanie Woods Melanie Woods (born 12 August 1994) is a Scottish teacher and wheelchair racer who competed at the postponed 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. She was fifth in the 800m (T54). Life Woods was born in about 1994 and she was interested in cycling ...

vocals, percussion * Suzanne Kirby and Claire vocals

References

{{Cardiacs 2020 songs Cardiacs songs Songs written by Tim Smith (Cardiacs) Songs released posthumously