Cake is the debut studio album by Scottish pop/rock band The Trash Can Sinatras, released in 1990.[3][4]
| Cake | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 June 1990 | |||
| Studio | Shabby Road Studios, Kilmarnock | |||
| Genre | Indie pop, jangle pop | |||
| Length | 39:31 | |||
| Label | Go!/London Recordings[1] | |||
| Producer | John Leckie, Roger Bechirian[2] | |||
| The Trash Can Sinatras chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 74 on the UK Albums Chart.[5]
Production
The album was recorded at Shabby Road, the band's studio that was paid for with their record advance.[6]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[8] |
| Record Mirror | [9] |
Johnny Dee of Record Mirror described Cake as an album with "lush, layered guitars that strum and chime" and also noted the "sharp-witted lyrics" which are "over-running with inspired metaphores and word-play". He felt the album suffered from "over production", where "a thick fog descends over some tracks when perhaps misty morning fluffiness was the desired effect". He concluded, "But little can spoil the sheer beauty of 'You Made Me Feel', 'Thrupenny Tears' or alert pop of 'Obscurity Knocks' and 'Best Man's Fall'. A cherry short of a gateaux but plenty of chocolate."[9]
Trouser Press described the album as "exceptionally good" and "pristine-sounding," writing that the producers add "an occasional light brush of cool jazz to the folky spines of the band's witty and agile tunes."[1] Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Loaded with bright splashes of guitar and vocal harmonies, the five-member Scottish group Trash Can Sinatras’ debut album is breezy pop with a backbeat and mercifully little attitude."[8] The Los Angeles Times called the album "tasty but hardly gripping."[10] The Washington Post wrote that Cake "crafts elegant neo-pop soundscapes from little more than vocal harmonies and chiming semi-acoustic guitar riffs and strums."[11] Time called it "an excellent brand of pub pop: simple, insinuating melodies, lyrics with propulsive good humor."[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Obscurity Knocks" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Maybe I Should Drive" | 3:40 |
| 3. | "Thrupenny Tears" | 5:15 |
| 4. | "Even the Odd" | 3:25 |
| 5. | "The Best Man's Fall" | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Circling the Circumference" | 2:40 |
| 7. | "Funny" | 4:16 |
| 8. | "Only Tongue Can Tell" | 3:45 |
| 9. | "You Made Me Feel" | 4:10 |
| 10. | "January's Little Joke" | 4:47 |
Personnel
- The Trash Can Sinatras
- Francis Reader - vocals
- John Douglas, Paul Livingston - guitar
- George McDaid - bass
- Stephen Douglas - drums
with:
- Clark Sorley - piano on "Maybe I Should Drive", "Thrupenny Tears" and "You Made Me Feel", keyboards on "Only Tongue Can Tell"
- Ronnie Goodman - percussion on "Thrupenny Tears"
- Audrey Riley - strings on "Thrupenny Tears" and "Funny"
- Gavin McComb - cello on "The Best Man's Fall"
- Clare Thompson - violin on "Only Tongue Can Tell"
- Mags, Richeal Reader - backing vocals on "Circling the Circumference"
Charts
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 55 |