By Joel Dameron, Staff writer
They’ve gone “the distance.” They’ve worn a “short skirt with a long jacket.” They’ve been “never there.” They’ve stood proud proclaiming “I will survive” and now they’ve gifted us with an entire “showroom full of compassion.”
I’m speaking, of course, of the wonderfully charismatic alt rock band Cake.
I’ve been following them since their ode to speed “The Distance” hit the airwaves in 1996.
John McCrea’s uniquely catchy voice croons his way into the brain with gleeful word play and dark comedy.
They don’t make albums very often, so when I found out that their latest effort was coming out on Jan. 11, I had to buy it. I wasn’t disappointed.
The strikingly memorable vintage guitar sounds splashed in with McCrea’s relaxed vocals make the upbeat mood of this album shine through pristinely.
The trumpets soothe and the keyboards brighten. Each song seems to accentuate the carefree spirit in the listener. It’s joy for the ears.
This album is the perfect sound for all the sunny days that arrived shortly after the recent blizzard, which brings irony to light in the fact that there’s a song on the album titled “The Winter.”
The first song I enjoyed regularly was a little ditty called “Long Time.” The intro is what got me first; synthy sounding “ahhhs” that I’m guessing were produced by some sort of keyboard.
The dance-style drum beat is what kept me listening. It almost sounds as if a drum machine doubled the drums.
The layering of the guitar, bass, trumpet and McCrea’s vocals are excellent. It’s nice the way that each instrument plays something different than the other but still manages to blend beautifully. It’s when Cake does this that they’re at their best musically.
I love guitarist Xan McCurdy’s guitar tone and sound. It’s so perfect for the overall sound of the band. It’s so warm and full and beautiful.
The next song we’ll discuss is “Sick of You,” a pumping upbeat song about a man who can’t stand the woman he’s with. The ability to talk about disgust or hatred while making it sound happy and nice is another superb quality that Cake possesses.
Pulsing drums and blaring chords start this song off. Then comes cool guitar riff No.1. Then the catchy lyrics. Then the “ahhhs”. Then cool guitar riff No.2. To quote Ferris Bueller, “It’s so choice. If you have the means I highly suggest picking one up.”
The next song worth discussing is “Bound Away.” It’s a 6/8 waltz time country song complete with dirty guitar leads and a Mexican-style trumpet solo.
It’s very unusual how it just pops up, but it’s much appreciated. I like it when a band isn’t afraid to do something crazy just because they felt like it. We don’t have enough of that these days.
This particular song is another example of how everything sounds good even though every instrument is playing something different.
My favorite song from the album is an instrumental track called “‘Teenage Pregnancy.” It starts with a creepy piano playing an eerie chord progression with melody. It’s also in a straight triplet timing. I don’t know if it’s 3/4 or 6/8. They sound pretty much the same anyway.
You put all this together in the intro, and I’m automatically going to like it. The guitar and drums and everything else come in soon thereafter. It’s a very beautiful song.
All in all, “Showroom of Compassion” is a strong album that really showcases the unique strengths of the band.
***1/2
Honorable mentions include “Got to Move” and “‘Italian Guy,” the latter of which is pretty funny.
For next time, I’ll be reviewing the new Foo Fighters album “Wasting Light.”