Cake

A new addition to the ever-growing quirk-rock genre, Cake's funky guitar rock recalls the absurdity of Phish's genre-hopping jams (and vocalist John McCrea's nasal levity is a dead ringer for Phish's Trey Anastasio). There are a few entertaining songs on Motorcade of Generosity: "Rock'n'Roll Lifestyle" is a thoroughly laudable send-up of the excesses of rock fans; "Jolene" begins as their most tightly crafted song and then dissolves into a deliciously messy jam session. Quirky music does demand a high standard of consistency because its triviality can easily become tiresome, and Cake's minimalist jams occasionally get repetitive (their spare arrangements use two guitars, bass, drums, and a horn). But there are enough standouts here to easily qualify Motorcade as a keeper. ~ Darryl Cater, All Music Guide