The genre of emo is a delicate mechanism, inept and mediocre handling of which leads to a cheesy sound.
But the band Cardinal has this mechanism set up so accurately and with taste, that it is impossible to find fault with anything. And any skepticism will be gone under the spell of clean and deep vocals, exciting and original playing, and addictive melodies of the song “Tension Rod.” Nerium Oleander, beautiful and poisonous flower mentioned in the lyrics, is a perfect symbol of the pleasing and dismal vibrations of the track. Every instrument here has its finest hour, and merged by a drum attack at 1:37, they seem to tear everything artificial to shreds with their vivacity in order to weave the new magic pattern. Both the music and vocal part are deprived of excessive dramatism, mannerism and imitation. “Tension Rod” is a powerful, but at the same time soft and mature sound. Cardinal do something of their own and do it talentedly and consciously.
