Like a fat kid loves Cake.

My brother Joel introduced me to the band Cake some time ago. Now by saying "introduced" I don't want to imply that I had never heard of them. It would be very difficult to have not heard of them or at least a couple of songs by them since they are fairly ubiquitous.

What I mean by "introduce" is "You need to listen to this song. In fact you should listen to all of their songs. They are quite possibly my favorite group."

This surprised me. What little brain power I ever devoted to Cake had given me the idea that they were "bubblegum" "top-40" and other various derogatory music categories. However, my brother is rarely impressed by those types of bands. So I gave them a try. I had already heard "I Will Survive" (which is probably what gave me the previous impressions I just described) and had decided I liked Gloria's version better.

Joel instead had me listen to "Long Line of Cars." This was a good choice because there is a strong brass accompaniment that is reminiscent of Oingo Boingo. I wasn't hooked, but I liked it. Awhile later I listened to the entire album "Comfort Eagle" and slowly my previous prejudices slipped away.

Now by all accounts, I should not like Cake at all. John McCrea (the band's frontman) doesn't really sing as much as he speaks the lyrics in different tones. There is little to no vibrato or sustain when he sings. It is as big a shock to me as to anyone that I actually like the way he "sings" at all. But I do. I like it alot. After pondering this dichotomy within myself, I've had to conclude that it is because it makes him very accessible as a person. As an audience, we are not in awe of his voice. He is not some high and mighty singer. He's normal - just like us. He gains our trust and we listen to what he has to say because of it.

That leads me to the second reason why I now love Cake. They sing about something else other than sex (love), drugs and rock and roll. I'm not saying that they don't sing about these things at all (or that I don't like songs about these topics - although there are few drugs songs that I enjoy), but merely that they sing about other topics as well. I've always enjoyed bands that use topics that are beyond the norm like "The Trees" from Rush and just about everything on "War" from U2 (back when U2 was considered edgy and not mundane).

The third reason I hinted at earlier. Thank you Cake for having more than guitars, keyboards and drums. Brass sections (when used appropriately) are AWESOME in the rock genre. And full orchestras - same thing. Now granted, there are quite a few other bands/singers that use orchestras, but rarely with a brass section. Its a beautiful thing that brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it.

So if you're not familiar with Cake, please take another listen. I recommend the following:

• Short Skirt/Long Jacket
• Long Line of Cars
• Love You Madly
• Pretty Pink Ribbon
• Stickshifts and Safety Belts
• The Distance
• You Part the Waters
• Mr. Mastodon Farm
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle


Yes, I love them like a fat kid...well you know the rest.