5/5 STARS! There are few bands that can have so many pop hits on one album and not have a sophomore slump. As each track spins its way through, the first thought is "maybe they should have held one track back to help build on the next release." Every song fits into the conceptual theme of the CD with track two building into track three and so on. To leave a track off may have taken away from some of the musical flow.
"Pump up Kicks", the first single released, is lyrically the worst ever recorded but the music makes up for it ten-fold. The meaning behind the lyrics is of a more serious nature. Mark Foster takes the idea of the book "In Cold Blood" and instead of making it dark with a musty basement feel, gives it a danceable up beat so kids will sing the lyrics. Hopefully, when the lyrics become second nature to our youth it will somehow become imbedded in their unconscious.
Everything is as it should be, opening up the guitars to do more than just strum a few chords and hope for the best. It is like Bob Dylan passed them a torch, and when the handoff was completed, they expanded and stretched out into different genres without selling out their own sound.
Moving into each new track, it is obvious that they know the sound they want to be remembered for, but at the same time are not afraid to move into different music while never giving up their musical integrity. Each track offers the listener something new while taking a tour of music's past. "Comanche" is not the greatest lead-in for their first release, but it lets you know they are not willing to just put out a record of music but a record that will have the listener growing as each new track is experienced.
"Ruby Sees All" is lyrically reminiscent of The Who's I Can See For Miles in reverse. When Pete Townshend believed his girlfriend was doing him wrong, he had eyes everywhere and was telling her that no matter what she did he could see no matter how far away he was. For Cake it was the opposite, as the girl left at home while the band is on the road still knows more than they want her to know.
Mark Foster seems to be the driving force in keeping this release concise, easily pushing each track into the pop music genre. Foster has his hand on the pulse of where pop music used to be and where he and his band mates can take it again. This is a fun and entertaining musical experience that will have longevity into 2012.
Bryce Googin, the producer of Round Room, had his work cut out for him. Having worked with the band on their previous release, Farmhouse, he seems to have found his way into the band's psyche and in doing so has been able to eliminate the staggering drag of such long songs. Although not breaking them down into short pop style songs and allowing the band to be who they are musically, he guides the finished product into greatness.
"Pump up Kicks", the first single released, is lyrically the worst ever recorded but the music makes up for it ten-fold. The meaning behind the lyrics is of a more serious nature. Mark Foster takes the idea of the book "In Cold Blood" and instead of making it dark with a musty basement feel, gives it a danceable up beat so kids will sing the lyrics. Hopefully, when the lyrics become second nature to our youth it will somehow become imbedded in their unconscious.
Everything is as it should be, opening up the guitars to do more than just strum a few chords and hope for the best. It is like Bob Dylan passed them a torch, and when the handoff was completed, they expanded and stretched out into different genres without selling out their own sound.
Moving into each new track, it is obvious that they know the sound they want to be remembered for, but at the same time are not afraid to move into different music while never giving up their musical integrity. Each track offers the listener something new while taking a tour of music's past. "Comanche" is not the greatest lead-in for their first release, but it lets you know they are not willing to just put out a record of music but a record that will have the listener growing as each new track is experienced.
"Ruby Sees All" is lyrically reminiscent of The Who's I Can See For Miles in reverse. When Pete Townshend believed his girlfriend was doing him wrong, he had eyes everywhere and was telling her that no matter what she did he could see no matter how far away he was. For Cake it was the opposite, as the girl left at home while the band is on the road still knows more than they want her to know.
Mark Foster seems to be the driving force in keeping this release concise, easily pushing each track into the pop music genre. Foster has his hand on the pulse of where pop music used to be and where he and his band mates can take it again. This is a fun and entertaining musical experience that will have longevity into 2012.
Bryce Googin, the producer of Round Room, had his work cut out for him. Having worked with the band on their previous release, Farmhouse, he seems to have found his way into the band's psyche and in doing so has been able to eliminate the staggering drag of such long songs. Although not breaking them down into short pop style songs and allowing the band to be who they are musically, he guides the finished product into greatness.
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