Cake - Pressure Chief (Deluxe Edition) (2004/2024)

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Cake - Pressure Chief (Deluxe Edition) (2004/2024)

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Legacy Recordings will release the latest of the CAKE reissues, Pressure Chief, on vinyl. Celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year, the album had key tracks like "Wheels" and the ever popular "No Phone." Outside of being included in a limited-edition Record Store Day box set this album has never been available on vinyl as a standalone item. Pressure Chief is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band CAKE. Released in 2004, this album showcases the band's unique fusion of different musical styles including country, pop, and rock. With track highlights like "Wheels" and "No Phone," CAKE further solidifies their presence in the music industry through their creativity and storytelling.

At no point is there any sign of a dip in Cake's music. With 'Pressure Chief', again provided with the artwork of their front-man John McCrea, Cake proves to be slightly departing from the slowly evolving sound that they had developed over the past decade. Most notably are the significantly increased amount of synthesizer and keyboard invading their melodies and along with McCrea's unique vocal timbre it had become the foundations of the bands 'sound'. There is not a single song on this album that isn't entertaining and moving. There's additional electric guitar playing by Green On Red desert rocker Chuck Prophet on 'She'll Hang The Baskets'.

"Released in 2004, Pressure Chief marks Cake's tenth year with a set of sardonic, engaging alternative pop that shows the Sacramento band's economical sound unwilted after all these years. Chief features artwork and typography typical to the group, as well the familiar three-color print scheme and stiff cardstock paper. John McCrea's wit is as dry as ever, and his tongue has grown sharper with the addition of a social comment streak that occasionally goes quite cynical. Single "No Phone" decries the encroachment of technology, while "Carbon Monoxide" is an upbeat, Beatlesque number that nevertheless wonders cynically, "Where's the air?" Later, the wispily funky "Tougher Than It Is" encourages listeners to take it easy, because life's going to keep throwing curve balls anyway. Cake have always positioned themselves as cultural observers, but McCrea's opinions on Chief rely more on clarity than wryness. This doesn't make the album a downer. It opens with "Wheels," a song built from the best parts of Cake's thrifty yet effective arsenal. McCrea's narrative mostly concerns a breakup, and life moving on ("Wheels keep on spinning 'round…"). But his imagery is on overdrive once he hits the singles bar, where the "Muscular cyborg German dudes dance with sexy French Canadians." The song's punctuated by a classic Vince Di Fiore descending trumpet line and some fan-favorite "HEY!"s from McCrea. In the tradition of "I Will Survive," the band tackles another cover song, this time reinterpreting Bread's "Guitar Man." With its vintage synthesizers squiggling off the cues of an acoustic guitar, their version meanders at a comforting pace akin to Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1," and even gives McCrea a chance to sing a little. Other highlights include "She'll Hang the Baskets," where guest Chuck Prophet fills out the mournful melody with some fuzzily toned electric guitar, and "Dime," where the charmingly home-recorded quality of Pressure Chief really stands out. Smart, subtly subversive, and always catchy – if it ain't broke, don't fix it." (Johnny Loftus, AMG)