Editorial
Reviews
When two-fifths of Cake defected to form Deathray after
the release of their sophomore album, Fashion Nugget,
some wondered if Sacramento's answer to Camper Van Beethoven
would disappear into the land of one-hit wonders--especially
since Cake's lone hit, "The Distance," had been
penned by departing guitarist Greg Brown. But true to
bandleader John McCrea's deadpan cover of Gloria Gaynor's
"I Will Survive," Cake turned around and repeated
their success with 1998's Prolonging the Magic and its
infectious hit, "Never There." Now comes Comfort
Eagle, and, with it, news of drummer Todd Roper's
departure (which probably explains the addition of drum
programming to McCrea's ever-expanding credits). Like Beck,
McCrea's self-sufficiency is only matched by an overriding
ironic sensibility. It serves him well on the title track
where, above mock Middle Eastern drones, he takes on all
poseurs ("Now his hat is on backwards, he can show you
his tattoos / He's in the music business, he is calling you
'dude'"). By comparison, "Short Skirt/Long
Jacket," a song that dates back to McCrae's coffeehouse
years, sounds formulaic (which probably explains its selection
as the album's first single). No matter, tracks like
"Long Line of Cars" and "Meanwhile, Rick
James..." are sufficiently intriguing to make up for it.
Factor in the distinctive trumpet embellishments of Vincent
DiFiore, the band's other original member, and Comfort
Eagle seems guaranteed to ensure that, no matter what
happens, Cake will survive.
--Bill Forman
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