Cake's dry, loungy sound works with at times, but not on tracks as monotonous as "Wheels" and not with overextended similes like "Ringing stinging Jerking like a nervous bird Rattling up against his cage Calls to me throughout the day See the feathers fly" in "No Phone". Building whole verses around rock n roll cliches like "You've been racing through my mind You're picking up in speed You're driving recklessly It's like a car crash happening on my street Broken bodies at my feet And sirens on the way They're too late" gets a bit too silly. Worse than the tepid opening tracks are an uninspired cover of "Guitar Man" and more awkward metaphors in "End Of The Movie". On the other hand, a song dedicated to a "Dime"**** and a simpler time makes the mundane charming with decent melodies and its stuttering guitar lines. "Tougher Than It Is"**** and "Waiting" work because of some of these same elements and a sunny hippie message, and has a bright sound that makes the rest of the album that makes the rest of the album sound muted and boxy.
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