Cake

I’ve always thought sincerity was an important thing in music, and when it comes to a band like Cake, you have to wonder – just who are these guys and are they meant to be taken seriously? Their music is certainly agreeable enough - traditional rock n’ roll guitar hooks often punctuated with catchy horn parts, funky bass lines, and sing-along backing vocals. But this is the 90’s – the band started 30 years after anyone took this kind of music seriously. John McCrea, the singer/songwriter behind the band, seems to only give a half-effort during most of the tracks, preferring to talk his way through parts of them. Furthermore, the guy has the ultimate anti-rock star image, with a full goatee and trucker hat that makes him looked like he was plunked directly from the farm and onto the stage. But McCrea makes a point of letting his audience know how literate he is, and has to be fully aware of what reactions he’s prone to get.
It’s like this – Cake never wanted to be rock stars, but they became them anyway, so they decided to take it as though nothing happened. Success didn’t change their sound, nor did it change McCrea’s irony-filled lyrical sentiment. The only thing it changed was the size of their gigs (and wallets), and even still, they never let go of their virtues (shortly after the release of their 3rd disc, when Cake was still a hot topic, a kid sheepishly wrote a letter to the band asking them to play at his Bar Mitzvah, and they actually did it!)
Or at least it appeared that way. McCrea’s image was that of a down-to-earth farm boy, writing songs about lost loves and dangerous women, but he was increasingly political, and his alternate persona as a smug and sarcastic sociopolitical commentator was much closer to the man’s true personality. His status as a liberal-minded doomsday forecaster (the band’s website has dozens of links to dubious and depressing scientific articles, but also some really interesting and useful stuff) makes it no surprise that the man was tough to get along with. Of course, writing 90% of the band’s material should give you most of the spotlight and control over the band, but a problem arose early on when guitarist Greg Brown contributed the band’s signature hit, “The Distance”. The group soon launched to fame on its strength, but as the face and voice of the group, it was McCrea who became the star, and the fact that Brown wrote the song became little more than a trivia question. This led to a rift in the group that would eventually to more than half the band quitting (and joining the Sacramento-based pop band Deathray, which featured more original Cake members than Cake itself – another trivia question), but McCrea did retain the band’s signature in trumpeter Vince DiFiore and quickly put together a new band. Synths were added as well as the occasional drum machine, but the band’s sound was basically unchanged despite losing three members. Unsurprisingly McCrea has had a songwriting credit on all the original material the band’s done since.
Reviewing this band is going to be kind of tough since all of the albums really sound the same to some degree, so if you like the first album you get, rest assured that you’ll dig the rest. The only problem is that I don’t really know how to describe these albums without relying on the same adjectives, so bear with me…

Motorcade of Generosity (1994) ***1/2
Cake were essentially a bar band at this point, albeit a good one – most of the songs are fun singalongs (“Comanche”, “I Bombed Korea”) with a few well-crafted rock tunes in between (“Ruby Sees All”, “Jolene”). They mostly stick to old-fashioned and well-established styles – rockabilly, tango, and even a little country, but they’re at heart a rock band, albeit one that sounds like they’re stuck in the 60’s. Since they didn’t really have much money at this point, there is a pretty rough quality here – the mix is a little muffled, and there doesn’t seem to be much production; it sounds like most of the parts were captured in one take. That’s really the main drag – I’d love to hear these tunes given the same treatment as on their subsequent albums, as this has got to be their most fun and definitely one of their catchiest (“Ain’t No Good”, “You Part the Waters”), as DiFiore’s trumpet lines take a major role in most of the songs. Despite that, McCrea’s tone is condescending at times, particularly during “Rock n’ Roll Lifestyle”, the album’s only single. It’s probably still their most biting and sarcastic, as he launches an attack on rich party kids and the drugged out bands they support. The problem is at times he seems angry at the idea of anyone taking music seriously, which is a pretty bitter stance for any band to take. Essentially the song is a novelty, especially since it lacks a real chorus (replacing it with some country-based rock riffing), but that’s an overall quirk of the album – there are a few ‘standard’ verse-chorus-verse tunes here, but most of the structures are pretty unusual for music this straightforward, which gives the songs something of a raw and unfinished feel (“Mr. Mastodon Farm”, “You Part the Waters”). The good thing is that sometimes this works in their favor, allowing a song like “Jolene” to build and reach an unexpectedly intense climax, and it gives the songs more depth than they probably should have (“Jesus Wrote a Blank Check”) but sometimes it feels like they simply do not know how to arrange certain types of music (“Up So Close”, “Pentagram”). Either way, the songwriting is generally pretty good – the songs are fleshed out and all feature at least one good hook. At one point this was my favorite Cake album, but it simply doesn’t hold up to repeat listening, and the basement-quality recording limits some of the dynamics.

Fashion Nugget (1996) ****
Not exactly a “big budget” album, but the inclusion of things like production work and second takes make this album sound like something a big label would actually put out. Right away the more thoughtful approach to songwriting is apparent – “Frank Sinatra” is nearly perfectly built, beginning with what sounds like a drum machine and synthesizer as the guitar, vocals, and trumpet get brought along as the song progresses. Despite a few excursions in genres like rockabilly (“Stickshifts and Safetybelts”) and country (“She’ll Come Back to Me”), this is a rock album, and Greg Brown’s gritty riffing style suits the band perfectly. DiFiore’s trumpet work can’t be ignored either – they find a way to work it into every song, and he even steals the show near the end – you would think the album would be out of steam by the second-to-last track, but the immediately likeable funk of “Italian Leather Sofa” is one of Cake’s finest moments. It’s true that Cake’s sound gets monotonous (thanks to McCrea’s monotonous delivery), but the album is well-paced enough to forgive that – there’s a number of 60’s style hard-hitting rockers with crunchy riffs (“It’s Coming Down”, “Open Book”), a few oddly structured and multidimensional tunes (“Daria”, “Nugget”), and three covers, of which “I Will Survive” is definitely the most memorable – the rock arrangement suits the song as well as the disco one, and it’s so well done that you can’t accuse McCrea of not having his heart in it (as most critics did). The covers of the Spanish staple “Quizas, Quizas, Quizas” (translated to “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps”) and Willie Nelson’s “Sad Songs and Waltzes” are also very nicely done and sit well with the originals. And, of course, you get an excursion into rap/rock territory in “The Distance”, which dominated the radio waves in the mid-90’s (and led to a few members quitting). Stylistically this is similar to the debut – they are willing to branch out and have fun, and there’s not much in the way of filler, but this time the songs have more meat in their bones, and the production is much better. The downside is that the more lighthearted moments seem a little forced, or at least oddly quirky (what the hell is “Nugget” about, anyway?). Start here if you’re trying to get into the band.

Prolonging the Magic (1998) ***1/2
Losing guitarist Greg Brown and bassist Victor Diamani didn’t seem to hamper the band’s sound at all; new guitarist Xan McCurdy plays the same gritty style, but he doesn’t rock out as much as Brown did. Not a big deal – the band’s shifting to a more pop-oriented sound, with only the opener featuring a killer riff (“Satan is my Motor”). This time, they give the bass a few lead parts (“You Turn the Screws”, “Never There”), as new bassist Gabe Nelson can spin a funky bass line when needed. There’s also a bit more synthesizer and some computerized effects (“Cool Blue Reason”). But really, this is just the same as Fashion Nugget - vocal parts that are easy to song along to, including plenty of lazy shouting, horn parts in every song, and a lot of old school guitar riffage. There’s a couple of solid and reflective tunes here (“Alpha Beta Parking Lot”, “When You Sleep”), and some that are catchy enough to warrant the repeat button (“Hem of Your Garment”, “Let Me Go”, “Sheep Go To Heaven”). Despite that, the songwriting does seem a little more gimmicky than its predecessor (both singles – “Never There” and “Sheep”), and I miss the guitar solos. To this album’s credit, it does feature their most well-thought out country tune, which could have actually been a hit on certain airwaves (“Mexico”).

Comfort Eagle (2001) ****
I remember being a Cake fan in 2001, not knowing another album was in the works (after all, Prolonging the Magic was still kinda new to me), flipping channels and hitting upon the MTV premiere of the new Cake video, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”. Very low-budget – just people listening to the song and telling the camera what they thought, but it was clear that Cake had really crystallized their strengths and delivered a song that was so Cake-by-the-numbers that you almost wonder if it was done tongue-in-cheek. A few small changes for the new millennium – there’s a drum machine in a few tracks, some more guitar processing effects, and more funky bass parts (which almost sound synthesized at times), with the compositions sounding something like “modern classic rock”. This is probably the most well-thought out of their albums, as the songs have more depth than before and don’t venture often into “goofy and catchy singalong”. There’s a few should’a-been radio staples (“Love You Madly”, easily one of Cake’s best riff tunes, “Shadow Stabbing”, which features about the catchiest bridge ever), and a few forays into other genres such as disco (“Opera Singer”) or hard rock (the title track) that rank among the group’s best work. It doesn’t quite have the fun factor of the previous albums, as the attempts to be lighthearted don’t work out as well as they have in the past (“Pretty Pink Ribbon”), and the limited song selection (10 songs and a short instrumental) results in the album ending all too soon. But it’s clearly one of their most consistent and impressive from a songwriting stance. For a band whose sound is basically the same from one album to the next, this is definitely a welcome development.

Pressure Chief (2004) ***
This was one of my most anticipated albums of ’04, so when I say it’s mediocre, keep in mind that I tried hard to convince myself it was about as good as the previous albums. The good news is that Cake is not a band that is going to just churn out a bad album, and you can always be assured of at least a couple of good rock songs on each one. McCrea is simply too skilled of a songwriter, and the band’s formula was a proven winner over a decade now, but this just isn’t Cake at their best. It’s Cake making a Cake album for no reason other than they hadn’t made one in a while (which I guess is not as obnoxious as bands that take 6 years between albums). I always liked how even their lesser songs were inherently catchy and singable in the past but some of the stuff here never quite registers (“Waiting”, “Take It All Away”, “Palm Of Your Hand”), and the excess of synthesizer cheapens some of the tunes that could have been great (“Dime”). Furthermore, the lead single here (“No Phone”) is their worst, basically being a retread of “Never There” (with phone sound effects and all!) That said, about half of this album is prime material and shouldn’t be missed. The group seems to be taking a funkier, synth-heavy version of their sound, with the drums sounding an awful lot like a drum machine in parts (and probably is), and handclap sound effects sprinkled over some of the tracks. McCrea seems to be singing more and talking less, which is good, but there’s not much room for DiFiore here, with some of the horn parts sounding like an afterthought (for once). It works in spots – “Carbon Monoxide” is actually a dance tune (although in true Cake fashion, it’s geared more towards a 70’s dance floor) and it’s one of their catchiest tunes yet, and while the closer once again uses the bass-led approach, it’s their best along these lines (“Tougher Than It Is”). There’s a few more rock songs, and they generally work – “Wheels” is a fine (if simple) opener, “She Hangs The Baskets” is one of their better country-influenced tunes, and they do a straightforward but still fine update of Bread’s “Guitar Man”. So it’s uneven, but none of these songs are bad, and the album’s not long enough to be tedious. Not a bad purchase if you were a big fan already (as I was), but get the earlier albums first.

B-Sides and Rarities (2007) ***
After three more years, Cake needed to drop a good single quick or slide into irrelevancy. Unfortunately, they didn’t and they are, but we at least got this compilation of tracks from hard-to-find singles. It’s a 12-track release with 7 covers, 2 original instrumentals (or near-instrumentals), and 3 live tracks (which make the band seem sloppier than they really are). So it’s basically an album of covers with a few extras tacked on. This is exciting because Cake’s cover tunes are more hit than miss, but those who loved their take “I Will Survive” will probably be disappointing to find they only really did one cover that didn’t really suit their style already – and it’s Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, which they try to tackle as straight-faced as possible. It’s entertaining, but not exactly something for repeat plays, and most of the rest of the covers are fairly straightforward – the closest to getting the “I Will Survive” treatment is Barry White’s “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up”, which fits their style well and could nearly pass as an original (the same way “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” did). But the covers of Buck Owens, Kenny Rogers, George Jones, and Sinatra are fairly straightforward, and while doing The Muppets’ “Mahna Mahna” is an interesting choice, it’s still a joke tune. At the core this is a lot of fun, and the covers are all at least decent (the take on “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town” is easily one of my favorite, especially with the off-color fade out), and it’s a pretty good listen for a release of its nature, though it can wear thin, especially as there’s only nine songs here if you don’t count the live tracks (one of which is “War Pigs”, again). Like the last studio album it’s worthwhile for the fans but not a good place to start (as if the name wouldn’t tip you off).