Pressure Chief - Cake
  • Band Name: Cake
  • Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Oct 5, 2004
Pressure Chief Image
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

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  • Summary: The Northern California band's fifth album in ten years includes a cover of Bread's "Guitar Man."

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. Stylus Magazine
    70
    While traditional rock fans may have a difficult time swallowing Cake’s meticulously produced, pop-obsessed, genre-bending concoction, fans of Moby, Beck and The Flaming Lips might make for easy converts.
  2. Playlouder
    70
    'Pressure Chief' sees the California quartet merge their trademark post modern kitsch with something vaguely approaching proper singing and the results are, by and large, pretty favourable.
  3. cokemachineglow
    56
    Although Pressure Chief isn't a bad album, several of its songs come off like b-side compliation fodder rather than a batch of fresh material.
  4. Mojo
    20
    The perkiness and quirkiness are paper-thin. [Dec 2004, p.112]
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See all 8 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. BrandonR
    10
    Cake's done it again, and it's no surprise. These guys don't mess around; McCrea is one of the best pure songwriters today, gathering inspiration from numerous musical genres past and present while translating them into something unmistakeably "Cake," and the instrumentation/layering simply cannot be beat. Critics who write Cake off as a novelty have forsaken the pure joy of music. Interestingly, and although still stellar, "No Phone" is probably the second weakest track.… Expand
  2. AlbertoM
    8
    At last!, I thought they were dead creatively. Soberb album and change of course that brings them back on top of the indie scene, with their peculiar sound. More basses, more melody, more rhythm...more unique sound, pure Cake not seen since I will Survive to me. Sublime, record of the year in its genre.… Collapse
  3. PaulA
    7
    Like its four predecessors, this CD is something that needs to be absorbed in its entirety, and it takes a couple of listens all the way through to appreciate. Once the taste is acquired, though, it's a worthy successor to its forebears. As always, I take pleasure in the wit of the lyrics (the commentary on Americans in "Wheels" cracks me up every time). For the first time, there is an absolutely beautiful song in "Palm of Your Hand." I'm addicted to that and the crank-it-up finale, "Tougher Than It Is." I agree that the lyrics are a bit cumbersome at times, but that's Cake. I just appreciate creative music that doesn't insult my intelligence. Still, nothing beats Motorcade of Generosity.… Expand
  4. LexingtonK
    4
    The CD certainly maintains the Cake sound, but is a drop in quality. The music's competent and upbeat, but wasn't quite compelling. The lyrics have fallen a lot more compared to previous albums. Most notably, "too much carbon monoxide" is horrible. The CD does have it's moments though.… Expand

See all 15 User Reviews

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