The band Cake has fascinated me since I first heard their song “Never There” a few years ago, mostly because the ’90s band from Sacramento is pretty much unlike anything I’ve ever heard.
It’s hard to think of many other bands who are an off-kilter combination of syncopation, trumpets, a vibraslap and a frontman who looks more like a middle-school teacher than a famous singer. Cake’s lyrics have a dry humor with a deadpanned delivery that make you feel like you’re in on some big hidden joke.
In Cake’s sixth studio album “Showroom of Compassion,” ““ the first the band has released in seven years ““ the band has continued the same methods that have pleased fans for years, but have also changed it up enough to keep things interesting.
While the sound is distinctly what people have come to expect from Cake, trumpets blaring and frontman Jon McCrea’s half spoken, half sung way of performing, the band moves in and out of some new styles. From politically conscious to Bob Dylan-esque folk sounding songs, Cake explores a different side than their past musical endeavors.
The album starts with “Federal Funding,” a slow and more blatantly political song than former tracks by the band which are normally more subtle about such topics. The change in content reflects a more mature band than that in their past albums.
The second song “Long Time” brings to mind an old fashioned performance at a speakeasy lounge with lyrics that recall the early spark in a relationship before it ultimately evolves into that of reliable companionship. The song serves as an introduction to the new Cake style that tackles more mature topics than before.
“Got to Move” builds off the confessional relationship theme and seems like a calmer and more mature version of “Never There” from their 1998’s album “Prolonging the Magic.”
While the beginning of “Showroom of Compassion” seems like a cohesive effort, the second half of the album listens more like a hodgepodge of traditional Cake and new experimental styles.
“Mustache Man,” written about McCrea’s supposed fear of men with mustaches reaching back to his childhood, is the quintessential example of what a Cake song is ““ humorous, interesting both lyrically and musically and very catchy.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Teenage Pregnancy” is a beautiful instrumental piece that has a dramatic yet eerie feel reminiscent of a circus. “Bound Away” is perhaps the greatest departure from Cake’s conventional style sounding more like country folk than anything else they have done.
Overall, Cake has definitely worked to branch out its style in this collection of songs, but at the same time there isn’t so much of the unexpected in “Showroom of Compassion” that the band ends up losing what it is. Cake retains its element of humor but has noticeably matured to become a product of men in their 40s.
Fans will definitely appreciate this album, and at the same time its diversity makes it accessible to non-fans as well.
E-mail Glover at gglover@media.ucla.edu.