I first heard “The Distance” when I was in high school, shortly after it came out. I didn’t like it, mostly because it was a little more than my novice understanding of music could handle at that time. I liked my music loud, depressing, obvious, or some combination of those three. Cake is none of those things; Cake is cynical. But they pull off a neat trick in that they are cynical without being angry. Now that I’ve grown older (and maybe more cynical myself), I very much appreciate their snarky rejection of anything “cool” and their daring originality. In high school, I thought they were weird (the bad kind) because of their devil-may-care attitude with trends and current fashions. It tricked me, but I have since seen the light.Fashion Nugget, and indeed all of Cake’s music, doesn’t have a reference point that would mean anything to its audience. Lounge music and Nancy Sinatra are the closest things I can think of, but even those hit the nail off-course. I mean, a funky and ironic cover of a disco/women’s lib classic sung by a man? How do you even begin to find derivatives of that? In the tradition of Frank Zappa, Cake takes forms of music and styles, mutates them like a team of mad scientists, puts them through a meat grinder, and tries to play the twisted and mangled remains. The thing that makes this good music instead of an experiment gone horribly wrong is that it works every time.
Well, okay, not every time. There are a few songs on Fashion Nugget that don’t really work. “Daria” has a bit too clumsy of a melody to be catchy. I wonder about this song’s connection to the MTV cartoon of the same name. I can appreciate what “Sad Songs and Waltzes” and “Stickshifts and Safetybelts” try to do, but I don’t really like the songs themselves. “It’s Coming Down” has a pleasing melody and guitar part, but I don’t like how the title is repeated over and over again. Other than that, though, it’s really just one deliciously snarky song after another. This album is a little darker and more pessimistic than others, but still has that off-kilter oddness that sets Cake apart in high gear.
“Frank Sinatra” is a smoky jazz tune that starts the album off beautifully, putting us into the right mode to expect the unexpected. Immediately after comes “The Distance,” which is a perfect example of Cake doing what they're best at: the beat. This song features a vicious one, as well as a powerful guitar riff that makes the song simply scream “single.” “Nugget” features the same monstrous and inescapable beat, and has an intensity and dance-ability about it that makes it one of the best on the album. Songs like “Open Book” and “Friend is a Four Letter Word” display a darkness and pessimism in the music, but the bouncy groove can fool you into not seeing it right away.
In a formalist sense, “I Will Survive” is another song with a strong beat and cool groove, perhaps with somewhat more obvious and less obtuse lyrics that every other Cake song. Compare it to the original, though. Back in disco’s heyday, Gloria Gaynor got famous and rich with this one song, as it became an anthem for woman empowerment. Almost 20 years later, Cake ignores its historical significance (and the fact that the 70’s version sounds terrible), and makes a whip-crackingly ironic statement. Doing the song at all was a really screwball idea that turned into one of the gutsiest moves the music world has ever seen.
Cake is an awesome band because they think of very unique things to do; nothing is out-of-bounds, and no idea is too moronic to work. They combine that "anything goes" energy with a flare for the dramatic and skill at musicianship to make up something more than the sum of its parts. Without question, they are one of the most fascinating bands making music today, and rank with the most intriguing bands of music history.
The Distance
Nugget
Italian Leather Sofa
I Will Survive
4 comments:
I think John McCrea's vocals are what makes the Cake experiment hang together so nicely. He's got a vocal range of about one octave, and an emotional range that's about the same. But rather than being a handicap, I think it works in his favor. It's sort of a constant vocal shrug that mirrors the aggressive passivity of all Cake's music. They don't really get angry about pop culture (or anything else), nor do they celebrate it. They just give a half nod in it's direction as it goes cavorting by.
very good point. McCrea is a true Sun Tzu disciple, as he takes a weakness and turns it into a strength. i think "passive aggressive" is a bit inaccurate when describing their music, though. passive aggressive is really being angry about something, but being too chicken or quiet or uncaring to do something about it. Cake, as you so eloquently pointed out, isn't angry, but instead "gives a half nod," as if pop culture didn't matter to them. and as can be seen from their discography, it doesn't.
I agree, and perhaps I wasn't totally clear. My use of the phrase "aggressive passivity" is very much different the more common "passive aggressive," in the same way that a boyish girl is not the same as a girlish boy. Though I can certainly see why you conflated the two.
I didn't mean to imply that Cake was angry but chicken, as you put it. Merely that their passiveness is, in fact, forceful.
aaah, i see. that makes a lot of sense. perhaps "forceful passivity" would be a better term for what you're talking about.
Post a Comment