http://www.cakemusic.com/

Ask Cake’s John McCrea about Vikings and he’ll tell you about a musician he met once in Los Angeles who wore a gold tooth emblazoned with the Mercedes-Benz logo. Ask McCrea about love and he’ll tell you how human sexuality and the American stock market are intricately connected. But ask McCrea about music and he’ll, well, talk about music.

It’s hard to dispute the fact that Cake makes gosh darn catchy music, but in a world filled with Puffys, Britneys and Freds, does a band like this have any chance in hell of making a difference in an otherwise vapid and humorless American mainstream musical landscape? Good question. Glad you asked.

Cake is more than a band–it’s a movement. It’s a phenomenon. It’s a black hole of mystery and esotericism. Remember that punk kid who always sat in the back of your human biology class and muttered snide comments about gonads under his breath. That’s Cake. Or what about that girl behind you in line for the subway, wearing pink high tops and singing every word to "Pass the Doochie." That’s Cake.

Ever since single-handedly taking the music industry hostage in 1996 with their album Fashion Nugget, Cake has been nowned and renowned for their sardonic lyrics and experimental instrumentation. With singles like "The Distance" and "Never There," the band proved that their music isn’t merely a shtick–it’s a shtick with heaping helpings of chutzpah!

Although the band has an affinity for eclecticism, recognizing Cake is immediate. Maybe it’s McCrea’s tender crooning. Or perhaps Vince DiFiore’s tender trumpet. What about Gabriel Nelson’s tender bass playing? There’s no one right answer. The possibilities are endless.

With the recent release of the band’s fourth album, Comfort Eagle, Cake puts the icing on an already impressive and legendary (um, sort of) musical career. We smell a Grammy!

-Leslie Simon