Albums2010 #66: Comfort Eagle

The main genesis for listening to this entire album came from the sudden appearance of all five seasons of Chuck on Netflix a couple of days ago.   Well it might have been longer than a couple of days ago, but I just noticed it a couple of days ago- oh, and if you're wondering why the writing on this blog has been a little flat and a little 'meh' of late, I put it down to trying to get my first ever novel turned loose on the world as well as the inexplicable lack of Cake in my life.

Well, one of those things has been rectified and by month's end I'm hoping to rectify the other.  (I'm getting closer.  Edits are almost done, then I've got to lock a cover and then make sure the damn thing is formatted correctly before I upload it and (gulp) set it free!)

But, in the meantime, let us to business:  CAKE.

The great thing about listening to this album was discovering songs that I knew (and liked) but did not, in fact, realize were songs of Cake's.  Prior to actually giving this album a listen, my experience consisted of 'Short Skirt/Long Jacket' and not much else.  However:  'Shadow Stabbing' was featured on the soundtrack to Orange County (this movie, which is actually really good and way underrated and has an excellent soundtrack, come to that.) And I know I've heard 'Love You Madly' somewhere before as well.   (Though where, is still something of a mystery to me.)

The band is described as being 'alternative rock.'  I think that definition fits them quite nicely.  The shifts in the overall sound of the band are subtle, but they're there:  shades of psychedlia on 'Comfort Eagle', layers of horns that bring to mind ska on 'Short Skirt/Long Jacket' and straight up alt rock on songs like 'Shadow Stabbing' with more quirky lyrics of pop rock on tracks like 'Opera Singer' and 'Meanwhile, Rick James...'  I enjoy the subtlety and the quirkiness of Cake.  They're not super loud, they're not super soft, they're sort of the porridge that's just right for Goldilocks:  relaxed, quirky and altogether excellent.

All in all, I really liked what I heard.  It was the perfect album to put on my Spotify and cook some lunch too and the groovy awesomeness of 'Short Skirt/Long Jacket' was far from a fluke.  This Cake tasted delicious and yes please, I'll have another.   Overall:  I'd peg this at a solid *** out of ****.  Its not 'knock your socks off' good, but it's really good.   And if you're in the mood for some laid back, groovy music then you'll go back for another slice.

Random Tangent: The video for Short Skirt/Long Jacket is brilliant.  I've always thought, randomly that if there ever was a serious female candidate for the Presidency and I was their hypothetical campaign manager I would pay serious bank to permission to use this song- because I really think it would be the perfect finger in the eye of popular expectations for female politicians/candidates in this country.  A serious contender for the Presidency wouldn't be afraid to break some of the 'rules' for women in politics and that song would be a perfect middle finger to demonstrate that.   But hey, that's just the way my mind works, I guess.