 Cake My CD collection would be significantly smaller without the purchases made on the strength of a catchy, top-notch single. "The Distance" off Fashion Nugget was a big "modern rock" radio hit, and was the only reason for me buying the disc in the first place. The song takes auto racing imagery and turns it into a metaphor for the hectic life of an overworked man trying to get ahead as just a faceless automaton in a sea of workers. I'm still surprised that one of the networks that carries NASCAR has never used the song, or at least the opening line: "Reluctantly crouched at the starting line/Engines pumping and thumping in time/The green light flashes/The flags go up/Churning and burning/They yearn for the cup." The album gets off to an incredible start with three outstanding tracks. "Frank Sinatra" leads off, with muted trumpet very prominent and powerful, with the great line "An old man sits collecting stamps/In a room all filled with Chinese lamps/He saves what others throw away/He says that he'll be rich someday.". Next is "The Distance" and then "Friend Is A Four Letter Word," about a man struggling with being betrayed by someone close to him. Here again (and through much of the disc) the trumpet comes to the forefront and wields a significant kick. Then there's the rest of the disc. "Open Book" features the least melodious chorus and some of the most grating harmonies – intentionally, I'm sure – ever recorded. It still has enough about it to enjoy to warrant a periodic listen, though the chourus is shite. "Daria" is a solid tune that, save for some questionable lyrics, could have definitely been a big single. After "Daria" we find the first complete failure, "Race Car Ya-Yas" … try these lyrics on for size: "The land of race car ya-yas/The land where you can't change lanes/The land where large fuzzy dice still hang proudly/Like testicles from rearview mirrors."Zuh? This marks the first time I've ever heard "testicles" used as a simile in a song, which is bad enough, but when you realize that those are basically the song's only lyrics … well, you just plain lose. "I Will Survive" follows, which I'm sure has raised the ire of many, in particular, disco fanatics. Really, I don't mind it all that much. The reason it works, at least for me, is that it's just a great song, rather than just a great disco song, something which can't be said about "Disco Inferno," for example. Cake takes it on with reasonable straightforwardness, though you can imagine a good deal of smirking going on during recording. The rest of the album is devoid of real standouts, just a lot of songs, some slightly more tuneful and listenable than others. "Stickshifts & Safetybelts" is either an homage to or a smart-ass rip on old-school bluegrass, I'm not sure which. All that's missing is a steel guitar. Regardless, it's pretty boring. "Nugget" is a damn catchy tune with some damn stupid lyrics, including a line that uses "budgets" then rhymes it with "McNuggets." Guh? "She'll Come Back To Me" pulls out the steel guitar missing from "Stickshifts" and makes a mediocre song with it. "Italian Leather Sofa" is another catchy tune that could have benefited from better lyrics and about two fewer minutes. "Sad Songs & Waltzes," a Willie Nelson cover, wraps the disc up, and though I've never heard it, I'm sure the original is far superior. There is some good music to be found here, with at least a portion of it being fairly accessible, and listening to songs like "The Distance" or "Daria" you get the idea that the band was trying pretty hard to crank out something that might actually garner some airplay. But at other times, the smugness and "artiste" mentality fairly pours out of your speakers, as if they're daring you to get it, particularly some of the more obtuse lyrics, which are quite a problem throughout the disc. Now, I can withstand obtuse lyrics, having been a rabid They Might Be Giants fan not so long ago, but I'm sure, like me, many who bought Fashion Nugget after having heard "The Distance" on their local modern rock station in between Matchbox 20 and Eve 6 ended up selling the disc back. Oh, if you only knew how many times I've seen that score on the sports ticker in my dreams: Matchbox 20, Eve 6 … Black 47, Level 42 … Ben Folds 5, Juliana Hatfield 3 … blecch.
Review by Mario Speedwagon |