The Cake Series: Fashion Nugget 1997

So I figured I'd start out with the review an album by the alternative artist Cake. I listened to each song and developed a bit of an opinion. Really, only a bit. I've always liked Cake, and they know how to actually develop monotony, but also how to develop a melodic masterpiece.

Fashion Nugget (1997)

Fashion Nugget is one of Cake's maiden albums, coming out right after a succesful Motorcade of Generosity. I would say though Fashion Nugget did not do as well. Regardless, it does prove to be a good album as Cake keeps their lyrical style very distinct, just as distinct as their own musical style.

A good first song, 'Frank Sinatra' 's lyrics have their own tone of consonance attributed with an occasional trumpet solo beautifully executed in the style of Sinatra himself. It's no hit single, mind you, but you won't mind hearing it a few times over again. With 'Going The Distance' to follow, McCrea proves himself to definitely have talent as a writer. He skips the fancy words and phrases that today's artists use to think themselves unique. Nope, McCrea develops a rhythm that helps develop the song as one of the albums best songs.

You'll probably be enjoying yourself until the fourth track, 'Open Book', which opens itself up with a ruddy electric guitar/drum duo. I promise, it does get better when McCrea starts to take over, and the trumpet drowns out the rest. But it could have been way better. Even some of the lyrics are lacking quality.

They do follow it with a barely rated 3/5 'Daria', which redeems itself with it's catchy (or just its get-stuck-in-you-head effect) chorus. But, 'Daria' is followed by an even worse 'Race Car Ya-Ya's', which I hate just as much Nascar. The lyrics are dumb, the guitar riffs are decent, but I don't want to hear testicles once, let alone twice. Plus, I don't give a shit about the land of racecar ya-ya's. This song, if I could allow myself to leave it with a zero rating, would have it.

As though they knew you would hate it, Cake brings you back in by throwing in their rendition of the "classic" 'I Will Survive', which is way better than the original version, you know, the one with all the wailing. For that, I gave it a 4/5, only because it didn't have that Cake feel, but they did take a classic and made it better. I love it.

Next is a series of four songs with follow with good listenability. I really enjoyed 'Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps', just as it had great overall song qualities with that great distinct Cake style. It continues on to the albums namesake: 'Nugget'. 'Nugget' has pretty decent guitar riffs, but doesn't really have anything particular. Most people won't be able to get into this song so late into the album. For having the same name as the album, Cake did manage to compose a pretty good song. The lyrics do get decently explicit, but that's OK. It's definitely an acquired taste.

The album wraps up OK. 'She'll Come Back To Me' has a bit of that folky, country feel to it. Not the greatest, definitely does not belong on a Cake album. Leave it for the practices guys. 'Italian Leather Sofa' actually has that feel of an Italian Leather Sofa - more sophisticated, a bit smooth, and the lyrics describe it perfectly. 'Sad Songs and Waltzes' Cake uses to function as their ending song, to wrap it all up. It's decent, has a good melodic line, a bit of an irony if you can catch it; it will leave you with on a good note though.

Fashion Nugget worked as an album. It doesn't tell a story, but rather a number of them, a lot of them about two different people. It has many decent songs, they didn't fail too bad in the lower parts, and so I give them the rating of...

Rating: 3.5