TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #84
Cake: Comfort Eagle (2001) <Columbia>
Genre: Alternative Rock
Nationality: USA (Sacramento, CA)
This is another band I remember growing up with. My initial experience occurred in the summer of 1998 when my parents bought Prolonging The Magic. I was instantly hooked into Cake’s groovy jams and dryly witty vocal performances. Comfort Eagle, to me though, is Cake’s best, most complete record. 1996’s Fashion Nugget comes very close, but Comfort Eagle barely slips ahead. This one just seems great from start to finish. All the way from “Opera Singer” to “World Of Two” contains zero filler, each song working in its own quirky way. “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” finds Cake following up their previous hit “Never There” with an even stronger, funnier, catchier single. “Meanwhile Rick James” and “Long Line Of Cars” groove along while “Shadow Stabbing” and “Love You Madly” rock in a way that evokes a kind of new wave feel not dissimilar to the Cars or maybe Elvis Costello. It’s an ultimately weightless, easy record that requires little thought or focus. It can work for a ten minute car ride or part of a big party. Comfort Eagle is an interesting record that manages to be accessible at the same time. Key Tracks: “Shadow Stabbing,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” “Love You Madly,” “Meanwhile Rick James” For Fans Of: Beck, Eels, Ween, Weezer
