Fresh Cake 4 Out of 5 Stars
While it's taken them almost 6 years to put together an album's worth of new material, the wait was worth it. Cake's "Showroom Of Compassion" is comforting, like a warm coat of familiarity. I've always enjoyed the fact that, unlike many of the other bands in the 'high irony' category of alt-rock (I'm thinking of Soul Coughing, The Eels, maybe King Missile), Cake kept plugging along with little change in sound without breaking up or (like The Eels) becoming a vehicle for the main brain in the group. (Insert disclaimer here, I really love all the aforementioned bands.)
There are a few additions, though. Main single "Sick of You" may be the most groove oriented song they've ever done and locks in your mind quickly. Instrumental "Teenage Pregnancy" is quite lovely, and lacks the band's usual irony. Singer John McCrea is becoming a more engaged vocalist, making the country leaning ballad "Bound Away" sound more authentic than sarcastic. After poking gentle fun at Frank Sinatra on "Prolonging The Magic," Cakes goes one step further by covering an obscure Sinatra song ("What's Now is Now") while still bending it to the Cake style.
What you love about the Cake sound is still there, as well. Vincent DiFiore's trumpet still lends the jazzy tone to much of the songs, along with his new wavey keyboards. The band still uses their call and response backing vocal style, with McCrea still feeling the need to yelp interjections throughout. I guess the consistency is something Cake fans have taken a liking to, because we were happy enough to snap this album up enough to not only make it Cake's first top ten album, but to take it to number one. Not bad for a band's sixth album.
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