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Comfort Eagle
Artist : Cake
List Price : $13.98 USD
Your Price : $12.99 USD
ProductGroup: Music
Release Date : 2001-07-24
Studio : Sony
Label : Sony
Avg. Customer Rating :  (221 reviews)
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Reviews
Customer Reviews for Comfort Eagle
Very fun album.
Rating:
I bought this album on the strength and humor of the "Short Skirt Long Jacket" music video. Before that, I knew Cake only through sparse listenings of "Never There" on the radio, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. This was one of those CDs that I only listened to really one song at first, "Short Skirt Long Jacket", until I expanded slowly throughout the CD once I started driving. It's amazing how many CDs I finally listened to in full once I started driving as opposed to what I used to, and currently do now that I'm not driving in the city, when I just listen to the singles over and over again. Anyhow...
1. Opera Singer - Very cool opener. I immediately love the horns. The narcissistic topic is kind of neat, too; it creates a cool dichotomy between the monotony of his voice and the subject matter. Every album deserves to put a good foot foward and this one does. It sets a nice tone and establishes their music ideas for the album. However, it's only above average, which is still pretty good. Four out of five stars.
2. Meanwhile, Rick James... - While, this is not, in fact, something that happened to lead singer John McCrea, it is possible that the comical lyrics of the song, which involve Rick James putting the sex on an unsuspecting gentleman's lady, took place in some shape or form in the past few decades, especially in light of what we all learned from Charlie Murphy. As an aside, did you know Rick James' first band was with Neil Young and they were called the Mynah Birds? I didn't. Anyhow, this song is pretty fun. The tune goes from bleak verse to oddly cheery hook. That juxtaposition gives it enough for four. Four out of five stars.
3. Shadow Stabbing - A very light track with some good musicianship and fun lyrics. Four out of five stars.
4. Short Skirt - Long Jacket - When this track first came out, I used to blast it in my Creative Nomad 128 MB MP3 player in 2001 while I'd cut the grass. Now it's an 80 gig iPod, but if nothing else, it is a very good song to cut the grass to. This song musically builds upon all of the simplest ideas of a successful pop song and does it to perfection. It teeters between anticipation and satisfaction and just when you think you are satisfied, it adds a new layer to the song, such as in the third verse when the backing vocals and the castanet are added. There was a reason this one was the first single. Five out of five stars.
5. Commissioning a Symphony In C - This song is a neat little history lesson. The lyrics are about an Austrian nobleman who was commissioned to compose a symphony in C and that process. Surprisingly, it makes a very good alternative song. Four out of five stars.
6. Arco Arena - The guys from Cake are from Sacramento, so I suppose it would make sense that they would have an ode to their "home arena" at some point. It's a pretty cool, lyricless jam. Four out of five.
7. Comfort Eagle - You may know this one from the credits of Shallow Hal. Or not. Again, some nice twists on traditional pop music ideas. Four out of five stars.
8. Long Line of Cars - At this point, I must point out how talented the bassist is for Cake. He does some really cool stuff on this song, among other songs, but he really keeps this one going. However, the ending really drags out on this one. Three out of five stars.
9. Love You Madly - This is really bassist Gabe Nelson's song to lose. The stuff he does is simple, but done with extreme precision. I think this was a response to a Doors' song of a similar name "Love Her Madly", exhausting the point that McCrea wants to do what Morrison says. The song works very well. Five out of five stars.
10. Pretty Pink Ribbon - A very simple, formulaic pop number. However, with Cake, it is about their production and precision, knowning what is too much and when to go overboard a little bit. This song finds a tremendous balance in those areas. It is my favorite song on the album. Five out of five stars.
11. World of Two - A nice waltz takes us out of the album. The backing is executed very nicely, but the hook is a little too cliche for my tastes. The bridge works very nicely though. Four out of five stars.
Final grades:
1. Opera Singer - Four stars.
2. Meanwhile, Rick James... - Four stars.
3. Shadow Stabbing - Four stars.
4. Short Skirt - Long Jacket - Five stars.
5. Commissioning A Symphony In C - Four stars.
6. Arco Arena - Four stars.
7. Comfort Eagle - Four stars.
8. Long Line of Cars - Three stars.
9. Love You Madly - Five stars.
10. Pretty Pink Ribbon - Five stars.
11. World of Two - Four stars.
This album on the surface would appear great, with all of the four and five star ratings. But sadly, the songs do not come that well connected to each other to make a truly great album and rather come off as a collection of above average singles. So instead of being "highly recommended", I can only grant Comfort Eagle a "recommended".
Customer Reviews for Comfort Eagle Cd
Interesting new find
Rating:
I stumbled across this group when I overheard a catchy bass riff with lyrics about a short skirt and long jacket. I googled those words and it brought me to Cake. I bought the mp3's here on Amazon (got to love DRM-free mp3's) and this has become my new favorite band. I love the style and attitude of the singer with its clever lyrics. I was reacquainted with back-in-the-day memorable lyrics like "no phone, no phone" and "somebody left with the cup". The free samples accurately reflect the entire content of this album.
Editorial Reviews for Comfort Eagle Audio Cd
Amazon.com
When two-fifths of Cake defected to form Deathray after the release of their sophomore album, Fashion Nugget, some wondered if Sacramento's answer to Camper Van Beethoven would disappear into the land of one-hit wonders--especially since Cake's lone hit, "The Distance," had been penned by departing guitarist Greg Brown. But true to bandleader John McCrea's deadpan cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," Cake turned around and repeated their success with 1998's Prolonging the Magic and its infectious hit, "Never There." Now comes Comfort Eagle, and, with it, news of drummer Todd Roper's departure (which probably explains the addition of drum programming to McCrea's ever-expanding credits). Like Beck, McCrea's self-sufficiency is only matched by an overriding ironic sensibility. It serves him well on the title track where, above mock Middle Eastern drones, he takes on all poseurs ("Now his hat is on backwards, he can show you his tattoos / He's in the music business, he is calling you 'dude'"). By comparison, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," a song that dates back to McCrae's coffeehouse years, sounds formulaic (which probably explains its selection as the album's first single). No matter, tracks like "Long Line of Cars" and "Meanwhile, Rick James..." are sufficiently intriguing to make up for it. Factor in the distinctive trumpet embellishments of Vincent DiFiore, the band's other original member, and Comfort Eagle seems guaranteed to ensure that, no matter what happens, Cake will survive. --Bill Forman
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