Originally released back in January, this newish contribution from Cake, Showroom of Compassion headed straight for the #1 spot on the Billboard charts. Whilst the US charts can be quite fickle, the speedy rise and dominance of this alternative LP is really surprising. Cake’s recordings are always good but for the most part the albums that make it to the top spot in the US could not be described in any way as ‘indie’… at least not since the 90s when it was okay to like music that was a bit different.

John McCrea (vocals, rhythm guitar, organ, piano, vibraslap) claims that this album is very different from all its predecessors. It seems he bases this claim on the fact that there is more piano to be heard on this recording. To my amateur ears, the eleven tracks on Showroom of Compassion scream Cake from the outset. There is no escaping McCrea’s vocal style, which is at times more spoken word than song. “Federal Funding” and “Long Time”, the first two tracks on the LP, are understated but have the lyrical cleverness this band is known for. “Got to Move” is repetitive in its melody and rhythm, and is a song that could easily get stuck in one’s head like an annoying TV jingle, only this number is quite a lot better than a 90 second sales pitch. “Mustache Man” is an amusing 70s style piece that is reminiscent of, (to coin a new term), porn star disco. I can visualise the big hair, vigorous moustache and (wait for it) skin-tight psychedelic jumpsuit.

It's quite surprising to find an instrumental track on the album. “Teenage Pregnancy” begins with a sad-sounding piano riff and musically rides the highs and lows of either the pregnancy experience or the hormone changes or both. “Sick of You” was the first track released way back in 2010. It has the hallmarks of a catchy single and rightly or wrongly I heard a Rolling Stones influence in the first bars of the song…or it may be that I’ve visited too many bars and I’m hearing things! The other notable song on this production is “Bound Away”, if only for it’s Dylan-esque folk sound and its departure from what I would consider to be typical of the band’s style. This is the song I would have trouble identifying as coming from Cake, if I was asked who it was in a non-contextual situation. Overall I think I’d need another few listens to make a decision on whether I really like this album enough to knock previous Cake albums from the top spots. I didn’t hear any “Short Skirt, Long Jackets” on here, but those of you who are truly fans of this band are sure to find something that will go past the lips and hit the hips.

Review Score: 7/10