CAKE - Showroom of Compassion
Blah...
I typically love CAKE. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high. I guess I was hoping for more of that funky trumpet grit and the sarcastically clever lyrics that they've managed in the past. I suppose it's there but it's too predictable and, sadly, tame. Unfortunately, for me, Showroom fell flat.
Radiohead - The King of Limbs
Typical abstract, non-commercial Radiohead... And the more I listen to it, the better I like it. It's sprinkled with those delicate, obscure sounds that, layer by layer and listen by listen, come together to pull the album into the 'Most Played' list on my iPod. I could perhaps do without the first song or two but the latter slice of the album definitely makes it worth the listen.
It's kind of strange: we want our artists to retain the dynamics that grabbed our attention to begin with, but if that's all they do we get bored even with our favorites. The trick is keeping your roots while making the effort to branch out into new territory. I imagine if you went back to Cake's earlier albums it would be very similar to what they're producing now stylistically, whereas Radiohead started out as an eccentric, organic rock band and has virtually turned into a techno band.
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