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Cake

43
Cake

Cake

What you need is some CAKE. The late 90's were primed for CAKE. When the emotional hangover of the grunge scene was too much, we got CAKE. This isn't a gag joke. In fact- your gag reflexes are in need of some CAKE.  Despite CAKE's quirky surface, singer John McCrea's deadpan delivery and Vince Di Fiore's mariachi trumpet playing, CAKE is as real as it gets. And with more than 25 years as a band and still going strong, they have nothing left to prove. It all started with 1994's Motorcade for Generosity with the single "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" which mocked trust-fund rebels. Then came 1996's Fashion Nugget with the all-time classic "The Distance." 1998 gave us Prolonging the Magic, a high-water mark. I got on board in 2001 with Comfort Eagle. I was big on disco at the time and their cover of "I Will Survive" caught my attention, and then I saw the "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" video on MTV and then my fandom was cemented. 2004 gave us Pressure Chief, an album that had a "Pinkerton-effect", meaning, when it first came out I remember not enjoying it that much but it aged well and I find myself going back to it a lot. Maybe it was a weird time to be CAKE, because they seemed to have felt the reception of Pressure Chief and took a break for awhile. Other than the excellent 2007 release of B-sides and covers, titled B-Sides and Rarities, we didn't get a new release until 2011's Showroom of Compassion, an excellent return to form... almost coming full circle in a way, with a lot of that signature sound that was evident from the first album. "Sick of You" would have sat right at home on Motorcade for Generosity.  There's something refreshing to see a band age well and totally embrace their sound and who they are. CAKE has recurring themes, whether it is cars ("Stickshifts and Safetybelts"), heartbreak, loneliness, and the like. Above all, CAKE is consistent. As we wait on another new album, we can be assured that we have our CAKE and  will keep eating it too. For God's sake...

It's...
CAKE

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