|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
Special Offers and Product Promotions
- Buy a CD or a vinyl record, get a $1 Amazon MP3 Credit. Limit one promotional credit per customer. Here's how (restrictions apply)
- Includes FREE MP3 version of this album Here's how (restrictions apply)
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Editorial Reviews
Review
"We heard this hip little fuzzed-out tune on the radio, and we were, like, who's this cool new band? Maybe something called Bear Antler? Then we realized it was CAKE." --Rolling Stone Magazine
"Showroom of Compassion finds the group at its most musically accomplished and quirkily ambitious, covering more ground on one album than most band do in an entire career." --Billboard magazine
"Lead singer John McCrea unspools dry observations in his usual deadpan tone over the synth squiggles, campy brass fanfares, snappy guitar parts, and crisp backbeats that have always been his band s signatures. The resulting confection tastes remarkably fresh..." --Entertainment Weekly
"Showroom of Compassion finds the group at its most musically accomplished and quirkily ambitious, covering more ground on one album than most band do in an entire career." --Billboard magazine
"Lead singer John McCrea unspools dry observations in his usual deadpan tone over the synth squiggles, campy brass fanfares, snappy guitar parts, and crisp backbeats that have always been his band s signatures. The resulting confection tastes remarkably fresh..." --Entertainment Weekly
Product Description
CAKE's first album of new material since 2004's gold-selling Pressure Chief. The band will release Showroom Of Compassion, their 6th studio album, January 11, 2011. The album was recorded over the last two & a half years and was produced and engineered by the band themselves at CAKE's own solar electric powered studio in Sacramento, CA.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
151 of 173 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
These reviews here are far too gracious or far too negative. Cake's "Showroom Of Compassion" is neither here nor there. This could have been released in 2005, shortly after "Pressure Chief", or it could have been released in 1993, or it could have been released now. It's not their worst album, and not their best. I'd even go so far as to say it's not their most inspired or original work either.
"Showroom Of Compassion" has standard classic Cake sounding fare like "Long Time", "Mustache Man (Wasted)" and "Sick Of You" that easily conjure up memories of former glories "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "Never There". Then there's some ballads like the Frank Sinatra cover "What's Now Is Now", the instrumental "Teenage Pregnancy", the country waltz "Bound Away", the Christmas-belled "The Winter" and the wry observational album closer "Italian Guy" plus the catchy "Got To Move".
And then there's two songs that seem like true blue filler: "Federal Funding" and the worst track on the album "Easy To Crash". These two songs do not really fit with the rest of the album, though "Federal Funding" grew on me the more I listened to the album.
So, what's really, truly interesting here is that, according to Billboard, this is Cake's first number one album. Time for celebration, right? Well, it's also the first number one album to sell the lowest number of units to obtain number one status! Time to celebrate, right? Hmmmm. I wonder how the band feels about this? Are they partying it up in their solar powered studio? It's kind of like running a marathon and you are the only contestant in the race. Of course you're going to earn first place. Only 42,000 units moved in its first week of release, the lowest amount ever for a number one album. After 7 years away, no less. The music industry is in shambles. I like it.
I like Cake. Own all of their albums. Did what I normally do, which is go back to the first album and listen, in sequential order, to all of their albums prior to reviewing "Showroom Of Compassion". That way it's all fresh in my mind. Cake are this amusing college band that never goes away, but also never seems capable of any radical or surprising change. They are proficient at their craft. They are unique, not sounding like other bands, but that also boxes them in stylistically. They are not as clever as they once were, but they are still fun to have around compared to other bands and newer artists that are auto-tuned to death. At least John McCrea wears his flat vocals with pride.
Here's how "Showroom Of Compassion" compares with Cake's earlier works:
1994 Motorcade Of Generosity: Three and a Half Stars
1996 Fashion Nugget: Two and a Half Stars
1998 Prolonging The Magic: Three Stars
2001 Comfort Eagle: Five Stars
2004 Pressure Chief: Four Stars
2007 B-Sides & Rarities: Three Stars
2011 Showroom Of Compassion: Three and a Half Stars
"Showroom Of Compassion" has standard classic Cake sounding fare like "Long Time", "Mustache Man (Wasted)" and "Sick Of You" that easily conjure up memories of former glories "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "Never There". Then there's some ballads like the Frank Sinatra cover "What's Now Is Now", the instrumental "Teenage Pregnancy", the country waltz "Bound Away", the Christmas-belled "The Winter" and the wry observational album closer "Italian Guy" plus the catchy "Got To Move".
And then there's two songs that seem like true blue filler: "Federal Funding" and the worst track on the album "Easy To Crash". These two songs do not really fit with the rest of the album, though "Federal Funding" grew on me the more I listened to the album.
So, what's really, truly interesting here is that, according to Billboard, this is Cake's first number one album. Time for celebration, right? Well, it's also the first number one album to sell the lowest number of units to obtain number one status! Time to celebrate, right? Hmmmm. I wonder how the band feels about this? Are they partying it up in their solar powered studio? It's kind of like running a marathon and you are the only contestant in the race. Of course you're going to earn first place. Only 42,000 units moved in its first week of release, the lowest amount ever for a number one album. After 7 years away, no less. The music industry is in shambles. I like it.
I like Cake. Own all of their albums. Did what I normally do, which is go back to the first album and listen, in sequential order, to all of their albums prior to reviewing "Showroom Of Compassion". That way it's all fresh in my mind. Cake are this amusing college band that never goes away, but also never seems capable of any radical or surprising change. They are proficient at their craft. They are unique, not sounding like other bands, but that also boxes them in stylistically. They are not as clever as they once were, but they are still fun to have around compared to other bands and newer artists that are auto-tuned to death. At least John McCrea wears his flat vocals with pride.
Here's how "Showroom Of Compassion" compares with Cake's earlier works:
1994 Motorcade Of Generosity: Three and a Half Stars
1996 Fashion Nugget: Two and a Half Stars
1998 Prolonging The Magic: Three Stars
2001 Comfort Eagle: Five Stars
2004 Pressure Chief: Four Stars
2007 B-Sides & Rarities: Three Stars
2011 Showroom Of Compassion: Three and a Half Stars
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By J. Loudon
Format:Audio CD
"Showroom of Compassion" is Cake's sixth studio album and their first since 2004's "Pressure Chief." Although lead singer John McCre claims to have "wasted so much time" on the track "Mustache Man (Wasted)," Cake does not seem to have lost a bit of their dry humor or catchy, upbeat grooves.
The first track on the record, "Federal Funding," may catch some longtime fans off guard.
Cake's typical clean guitar tone is replaced with a rather fuzzed out, echo-laden sound while McCre's vocals are also run through a similar set of effects. The trumpets are still present, but not nearly as prominent or upbeat. As a whole, the track sounds more like a Velvet Underground single than a Cake tune.
While the lack of polish is certainly not a bad thing, fans of the first five Cake records may find "Federal Funding" somewhat hard to digest. Never fear, although these effects do make return appearances further along on the album, there is plenty of classic Cake to enjoy as well.
It doesn't take long for Cake to settle back into a familiar form. "Federal Funding" is followed with "Long Time" which should be more than enough to put the ears and minds of Cake fans at ease; all of the ingredients are there.
A solid, mid-tempo drum groove paves the way for a cleaner guitar tone, dry vocals, bright trumpets, and even some call and response stylized harmonies.
Like all good Cake singles, "Long Time" also introduces their latest catchy groove with a hit on the vibraslap. Yes, that instrument that sounds like a rattlesnake heard on such classic Cake tunes as "Never There," "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," and "Comfort Eagle" is back for another set of quality Cake singles.
In fact, on "Showroom of Compassion," the vibraslap seems to secretly inform the listener which tracks are the best on the record. "Long Time," "Mustache Man (Wasted)," and the first single, "Sick of You," are all given the vibraslap treatment.
By the end of the album, it becomes easier to understand why the songs were ordered the way they were. "Federal Funding" may have seemed like a surprise, but in actuality, it's a perfect blend of old and new.
The eerie piano waltz that opens Cake's instrumental track, "Teenage Pregnancy," the electronic bleeps on songs like "Easy to Crash" and the string parts on "What's Now Is Now" and "Italian Guy" all displays a more exploratory side to the band.
Often bands that have spent some time out of the spotlight will come back sounding like cover bands of themselves. In Cake's case, with five albums behind them and over six years removed from the studio, the band hasn't lost their style, but they change things up enough to sound fresh and rejuvenated.
Similar Artists: Beck, Weezer
Track Suggestion: "Sick of You"
The first track on the record, "Federal Funding," may catch some longtime fans off guard.
Cake's typical clean guitar tone is replaced with a rather fuzzed out, echo-laden sound while McCre's vocals are also run through a similar set of effects. The trumpets are still present, but not nearly as prominent or upbeat. As a whole, the track sounds more like a Velvet Underground single than a Cake tune.
While the lack of polish is certainly not a bad thing, fans of the first five Cake records may find "Federal Funding" somewhat hard to digest. Never fear, although these effects do make return appearances further along on the album, there is plenty of classic Cake to enjoy as well.
It doesn't take long for Cake to settle back into a familiar form. "Federal Funding" is followed with "Long Time" which should be more than enough to put the ears and minds of Cake fans at ease; all of the ingredients are there.
A solid, mid-tempo drum groove paves the way for a cleaner guitar tone, dry vocals, bright trumpets, and even some call and response stylized harmonies.
Like all good Cake singles, "Long Time" also introduces their latest catchy groove with a hit on the vibraslap. Yes, that instrument that sounds like a rattlesnake heard on such classic Cake tunes as "Never There," "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," and "Comfort Eagle" is back for another set of quality Cake singles.
In fact, on "Showroom of Compassion," the vibraslap seems to secretly inform the listener which tracks are the best on the record. "Long Time," "Mustache Man (Wasted)," and the first single, "Sick of You," are all given the vibraslap treatment.
By the end of the album, it becomes easier to understand why the songs were ordered the way they were. "Federal Funding" may have seemed like a surprise, but in actuality, it's a perfect blend of old and new.
The eerie piano waltz that opens Cake's instrumental track, "Teenage Pregnancy," the electronic bleeps on songs like "Easy to Crash" and the string parts on "What's Now Is Now" and "Italian Guy" all displays a more exploratory side to the band.
Often bands that have spent some time out of the spotlight will come back sounding like cover bands of themselves. In Cake's case, with five albums behind them and over six years removed from the studio, the band hasn't lost their style, but they change things up enough to sound fresh and rejuvenated.
Similar Artists: Beck, Weezer
Track Suggestion: "Sick of You"
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By B. W.
Format:Vinyl|Amazon Verified Purchase
The packaging and cute little colored records look great. Unfortunately, style superseded substance here. The transparent record which is supposed to contain "Huge Misunderstanding" (and is labeled as such) actually plays "Federal Funding March," which is also (correctly) on the yellow record. While you might not miss this little bonus track, I have to add that the sound quality, on this particular clear record is also especially bad, though I'm not sure any of the records sounded as high quality as the dusty old mistreated 5th Dimension record I dug up at a garage sale for a quarter this morning. I'm no vinyl connoisseur; my record player is just a new toy for me, but these records strike me as something of a toy as well. Only two or three of the records had paper sleeves. I considered sending them back due to the flaws, but...they ARE an awfully cute toy. Great album, great aesthetic, poor quality control.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Have your cake and listen to it too
I great follow up to Fashion nugget for my collection. The songs have that same Cake sound without sounding too much like the other album. A must for any Cake fan.
Published 2 months ago by Consumer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Under-cooked
I love cake... The band... However, after excellent albums in Comfort Eagle and to a lesser extent Pressure Chief, this comes across as a little borng and lacks not only the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Toinip
4.0 out of 5 stars
A cool cd
I love the song Long Time, and the entire album is cool in its way, with that fuzzed out guitar and the lead singer's solid vocals.
Published 3 months ago by Eleni Sakellis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Alubmn
Ordered this for my significant other and it was a great gift. We used it already and recommend it to others.
Published 4 months ago by Miguel A. Acosta
2.0 out of 5 stars
same old stuff with new words
I have liked CAKE for years and was really excited when they came up with a new CD but this is essentially a collection of their most popular songs from previous CDs with new... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Justin F Brox
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Cake
Good record - good music - the band continues to make you smile and always finds a way to keep in touch with good rock and roll!
Published 6 months ago by unknown
5.0 out of 5 stars
solid Cake
I really love this album...haven't listened to Cake in a few years, was very pleased by the entire album. If you like Cake, then you will probably enjoy this item...purchase away!
Published 8 months ago by music_listen_fun
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vinyl
I'm by no means a autio snobb, but just recently I got into vinyl and it is noticeably a nicer sound. This album is one of my favorites, if you like cake then you'll love it.
Published 8 months ago by Zach Dugan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Standard cake!
As usual, Cake delivers fantastic, slightly random but simultaneously appropriate songs with catchy beats that will have you tapping your feet while pondering over the lyrics.
Published 10 months ago by Pen Name
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grateful
Anything Cake puts on the table is Manna from heaven. They share the musical curiosity of Zappa, the wry humor of the Kinks, the eclectic tastes of Book of the Month Club members. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Alan A. Urbanski
