Disco de CAKE: “Pressure Chief”

I remember my initial reaction to this album was "Cake has finally made a bad album". While I no longer think of it as bad, it's definitely only average and one that takes longer to settle in than many of their other efforts.

Probably the biggest change here on this CD from COMFORT EAGLE is the prominence of synthesizers, especially on "Carbon Monoxide", the band's cover of 70s soft rock band Bread's "The Guitar Man", and the near theremin sounding synth on the sole hit from this album "No Phone". Others have mentioned singer John McCrea is trying to do more conventional singing on this album but I don't hear that much of a change from his typical talk/sing style (like an alternative Neil Diamond).

HIGHLIGHTS:

"Wheels" probably SHOULD have been the single. It's upbeat, and its "Wheeeeels..keep on spinnin' round/spinnin' round/spinnin' round" chorus is almost immediately sing-a-long worthy. "No Phone" has a similarly catchy hook but the insistent moog tends to grate a bit with repeated airings. "Dime" is a clever lament from the point of view of the tiny tender, much like Schoolhouse Rock's "I'm Just a Bill (On Capitol Hill)". ("I'm silver-plated/I'm underrated/You won't even pick me up because I'm not enough for a local phone call")

LOWS:

"She'll Hang the Baskets" is a return of more country tinged material from the band but it's not as compelling as past fare has been. "Carbon Monoxide" comes off like grating older B-52s (apt comparison whoever first made it)

BOTTOM LINE:

If you had asked me the first week we had this album for my rating, I'd have said 1 1/2 stars. After some time to live with it, the tracks I initially disliked (mostly) have grown on me and I now give it 3 stars. It's still probably their weakest effort thus far but far from unlistenable. Longtime Cake fans will probably like it, but I'd check out the sound samples first. If you're new to Cake, don't start here..get FASHION NUGGET, then COMFORT EAGLE.

One could argue that Cake are one big inside joke. I mean look at how their five album covers are all the same artist and slightly different from one another. Listen to the music--in ten years the band has turned out five almost similiar albums. They're like a car that has small adjustments made from year to year to improve its quality while retaining that same dependable quality you've come to rely on.

However, this is the first album that feels tired and out of musical ideas. Yes, the lyrics are still interesting and amusing and even quite clever ("Dime"), but the melodies, compositions and arrangements vary little from one another or from their previous four albums. "Pressure Chief" is a short (under 40 minutes) unsatisfying snack. It feels as if Columbia record execs have sucked the band dry.

Nevertheless, there are some salvageable songs like "No Phone", "Dime", "The Guitar Man", "End Of The Movie", "Palm Of Your Hand" and "Tougher Than It Is". But, you know, I made my own compilation of songs I like from each album onto one disc and it all sounded the same! I think Cake need a shot of musical inspiration at this point, or are they planning to release five more albums over the next ten years of the same thing? I'd hate to see them turn out like Chicago, Journey, REO Speedwagon or Styx did. These guys are my favorite band from Sacramento besides Bourgeois Tagg (who?).

If you're a Cake fan, I'm sure you already own this, but to casual fans you might was to try "Comfort Eagle", "Prolonging The Magic" or "Fashion Nugget" to start--or better yet, wait for a best of Cake!

Like every Cake album (except for Fashion Nugget), Pressure Chief took 4 or 5 listens for me to actually like the album.

A lot of reviews have said that Cake has kept their Sacramento sound throughout all of their albums, and while that is true, this album takes the furthest step away from that sound, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. The electronic sounds often add to the sound of several tracks but at other times I find myself asking exactly why it was deemed necessary.

McCrea's lyrics are witty as usual although there seems to be a major lack of them. Whereas in Fashion Nugget and Comfort Eagle listeners were bombarded with driving tunes accompanied by poignant words, it seems that for most songs McCrea wrote a verse or two, added a chorus, a jam, and then repeated the chorus until the end. And while that's great for a song or two, the entire album seems to full of lyrically incomplete songs. More lyrics, McCrea! You're great at it!

Except for the bizarre electronic instrumentation, the remainder of the music is pure Cake. The trademark guitar and trumpet make it very easy to identify the songs as Cake tunes. Although there seems to be a lack of bass grooves and musical hooks in general making most of the album forgettable after a single listen.

A Cake fan will like the album, maybe lessso than someone who has never listend to Cake before simply because the band has brought us much better albums in the past.

Like any Cake album, this is a must have for fans. So, if you aren't yet a fan, pick up Fashion Nugget, with which you can't go wrong. Then, get Pressure Chief and all the others in no particular order.

If I'm not mistaken, this is Cake's shortest CD, which is the only detrimental thing I have to say about the disc. Like any Cake album, the songs are diverse: some upbeat, some slow, some very strange... However, the expected witty, lyrical genius of John McCrea shines through on most of these songs.

"Wheels," "No Phone (the obligatory techno-ish rock song)," and "Carbon Monoxide" rock this album. "Guitar Man," "She'll Hang the Baskets," and "Tougher Than It Is" are the more mellow yet upbeat tracks this time around. "Dime," a personification of the USA's most underappreciated coin is another enjoyable tune, seemingly intended to inspire euphoria in the listeners.

"End of the Movie" is the catchy banjo tune this time around, though it only clocks in at about 1:41.

Though this cd is short, remember quality counts over quantity and you're saving money by using Amazon anyway. You'll be singing along to the tunes in no time (probably on only the second or third time through).

I have been a Cake fan for quite some time now, and I loved how they were so different and had a sense of style all their own. I was blown away and hooked by the first four cds. However, after buying Pressure Chief, I'm convinced the amazing musical energy I once loved so much is no longer existent.

Besides "Wheels" and "Guitar Man" everything else plays on like an electronic mess. "No Phone" might just be the worst song I've ever heard, and supposedly it was the first single! The lyrics don't do McCrea any justice as they did on Fashion Nugget, or Motorcade of Generosity, and all around has been a sad dissapointment. Don't get me wrong, I still love Cake. Nobody is perfect, but I would definitely stick to the older Cds if you are interested in seeing what Cake has to offer, because you won't find it on Pressure Chief.