Top

music

Stories

 

Cake

Pressure Chief

OK, we get it: Cake isn't just a novelty act with an irony-spewing, speak-singing frontman. That title went to Soul Coughing, which promptly disappeared in the late '90s as Cake went on to record a string of albums full of funky, chunky tracks featuring John McCrea's arrogant-but-vulnerable deadpan. Pressure Chief delivers more of the same, adding hints of psychedelia courtesy of a Casio keyboard. McCrea's romantic life is still on the rocks, but his love affair with car metaphors continues. Album opener "Wheels" finds the singer's monotone at its most seductive, while the vocals grate like a cat in a carburetor on the wholly expendable "Carbon Monoxide." Shifting gears after a cover of Bread's "Guitar Man," the record drifts into laid-back Jack Johnson territory and closes with some dusty, stripped-down cuts. And though McCrea's silver-tongued rants -- on everything from "muscular cyborg German dudes" to "overweight Americans in patriotic jumpsuits" -- make it safe to start listening to rock lyrics again, Cake doesn't break much new ground here. Die-hards may line up for another helping, but this record won't win the group a ton of new fans.

 
My Voice Nation Help
0 comments
Sort: Newest | Oldest
 

Concert Calendar

  • May
  • Thu
    23
  • Fri
    24
  • Sat
    25
  • Sun
    26
  • Mon
    27
  • Tue
    28
  • Wed
    29
San Francisco Event Tickets
©2013 SF Weekly, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places San Francisco / Bay Area

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city