Cake doesn't crack under 'pressure'

Mid-to-late '90s geek rock sensation Cake has returned with yet another record. This one's called Pressure Chief, and it doesn't do much to differentiate itself from the band's previous works. Much like Cake's albums of yore, the cover is muted and tri-colored. The tunes fuse honky funk, country, new wave, jazz and pop. Hell, there's even a cover of Bread's "Guitar Man" filling in for "I Will Survive." \nWhile what's here is good, it doesn't do anything to break the mold. If you dig Cake, you'll dig the record. If you don't … well, you won't. As far as the band's records go, this one's a tad sub-par, but that's not to say it's bad. In fact, it's imminently listenable and better than Comfort Eagle, the group's last effort. Though, I like Cake. Always have. Probably always will.\nWhile Pressure Chief's first single "No Phone" exudes catchiness, it's slightly repetitive (obviously, Cake's greatest downfall as a band) and isn't indicative of the quality contained within. Lead singer John McCrea's signature sardonic wit is again present -- most notably in the album's opener "Wheels," in which he verbally paints the image of "Muscular cyborg German dudes dancing with sexy French Canadians," and later on the socially conscious "Carbon Monoxide," where he chants "Car after bus, car after truck, after this my lungs will be so fucked up." Much like its predecessors, Pressure Chief also sports its fair share of break-up balladry by way of bombast. Songs such as "Wheels," "Take It All Away," "Waiting" and "Palm of Your Hand" stand just a notch below time-tested classics such as "Friend Is a Four-Letter Word," "Never There," "Walk on By" and "Hem of Your Garment."\nCake's greatest strides come through experimentation and homage. The aforementioned Bread cover sounds as though the band's been listening to the Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and this is a good thing. Also, "Dime," which more than any other track projects the record's shaggy, homespun vibe, is among the band's best cuts ever.\nWhile not revelatory, Pressure Chief gives listeners the Cake they know and love and lets them eat it too.