Pressure Chief

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Quirky, satisfying songwriting.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this includes musical rants about environmental issues.


What's the story?

There aren't a lot of surprises on PRESSURE CHIEF, and for Cake fans that's great news. Throughout the latter half of the 1990s, the Sacramento-based band delivered fun and original albums, developing a quirky signature sound that is maintained on here.


Is it any good?

 

Minimalist cover art, bubbling synthesizer tracks, and John McCrea's understated vocals offer a brand of musical consistency that will be comforting to die-hard fans but may feel tedious to others. Genuinely creative and original lyrics will be inspiring to would-be songwriters, who will be inspired by the fact that these guys can write about anything and make it work.

The lyrics are mostly squeaky clean, with one four-letter word thrown in to make a valid and literate point. Along with darkly poetic love songs, there's a "save the environment" plea (on "Carbon Monoxide") and the unusually creative use of metaphor throughout. "You won't even pick me up because I'm not enough for a local phone call," sings McCrea on "Dime," as one example. This is witty, clever, and refreshingly critical of culture and politics.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the substantive lyrics. Do you just like the sound, or do you appreciate the lyrics? Which lines or songs do you think are especially well-crafted?


This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
OVER HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS MUSIC ROCKS

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
November 3, 2010
 
I love CAKE but not as much this album. Comfort Eagle and Prolonging the Magic are probably the best ones. They are albums you can listen to all the way through without skipping over a distasteful track. CAKE has a new album coming out 1/11/11. Needless to say, I'm very excited.

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This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Artist:Cake
Release date:October 5, 2004
Label:Sony Music
Genre:Alternative Rock
Parental advisory:No

This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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