So me and fellow MHW staffer Paul have had a friendly debate about Flobots that has lasted for about a week. At one point, he compared the ‘Bots to Cake, and that’s when my “oh no he diiiint” antenna went up. I kid slightly, of course, but I don’t really see a comparison between the two, specifically seeing as how Cake has been one of my favorite bands for the past decade or so and after one listen of Flobots’ “Handlebars” I wish to never hear that band again.
Anyhow, those of you familiar with Cake probably think of them as a joke band, or a novelty band. There’s certainly something about John McCrea’s deadpan, almost-spoken lyrics and the periodic trumpet solos that lends creedence to that. However, the band’s had a much longer string of hits than any “novelty” act can boast, including “The Distance”, “No Phone”, “Never There” and the awesome “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”. Furthermore, the band’s actually an extremely tight instrumental unit, rocking efficiently and intelligently. And while some of their music is played for laughs, it’s with a dry and sarcastic humor far beyond anything the Flobots could potentially come up with. OK, Paul, I’ll stop now 🙂
I actually got to see Cake live at a radio station gig a couple weeks ago (where they performed on the same bill as Cracker…that’s a joke within itself). Although McCrea’s asides proved that he’s not wrapped too tight, they put on a tight show. I’m definitely looking forward to their new album, scheduled for release later this year. Meanwhile, I leave you with the uproarious video for “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”…
…Well, I was going to…but, again, I can’t find a version that’s embeddable. So, even better, here’s the video for their awesome cover of “I Will Survive”. Enjoy.
