Showroom of Compassion

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox album | name = Showroom of Compassion | type = studio | artist = Cake | cover = ShowroomCompassion.jpg | alt = | released = January 11, 2011 | recorded = 2009–2010 | studio = Upbeat Studio, Sacramento, California<ref name="booklet"/> | genre = Experimental rock, alternative rock, classical, avant-garde | length = 40:24 | label = Upbeat<ref name="aol"/> | producer = Cake | prev_title = B-Sides and Rarities | prev_year = 2007 | next_title = Live from the Crystal Palace | next_year = 2014 | misc = {{Singles | name = Showroom of Compassion | type = studio | single1 = Sick of You | single1date = September 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2010/09/exclusive-first-new-song-cake-6-years/|title=EXCLUSIVE: First New Song From Cake In 6 Years!|website=Spin.com|date=22 September 2010}}</ref> | single2 = Long Time | single2date = March 1, 2011<ref>{{cite web|author=Praxis Media |url=http://www.radio1.gr/music/forthcoming_usa_singles.htm |title=Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: USA Forthcoming Singles ::: Charts, DJ Promos, Dance, Lyrics, Free Mp3 Samples Downloads |website=Radio1.gr |access-date=2012-03-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615215027/http://www.radio1.gr/music/forthcoming_usa_singles.htm |archive-date=June 15, 2011 }}</ref> }} }}

'''''Showroom of Compassion''''' is the sixth studio album from the band Cake, released on January 11, 2011.<ref name="aol">{{cite web | last = Anderson | first = Sara | title = Cake, 'Sick of You' – New Song | publisher = AOL | date = 2010-09-24 | url = http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/09/24/cake-sick-of-you/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100930093317/http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/09/24/cake-sick-of-you | url-status = usurped | archive-date = September 30, 2010 | access-date = 2010-09-24 }}</ref> Produced by the band, it was the band's first studio album to be independently released. The musical style of ''Showroom of Compassion'' is grounded in the band's unique style of alternative rock, combining droll, often esoteric lyrics rife with word play and syncopation, catchy distorted guitar riffs, complex bass patterns, Moog and prominent use of trumpet. Cake's former lead guitarist, Greg Brown, makes a guest appearance on the song "Bound Away", his first appearance on a Cake album since 1996's ''Fashion Nugget''.

The album was the band's first since the release of ''Pressure Chief'' in 2004, the longest gap to date between two consecutive Cake studio albums. It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 for one week, becoming the band's first album to do so.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Keith|last=Caulfield|title=Cake Scores Lowest-Selling No. 1 in ''Billboard'' 200 History|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/473580/cake-scores-lowest-selling-no-1-album-in-soundscan-history|magazine=Billboard|date=2011-01-19|access-date=2011-01-19}}</ref> The album's first single, "Sick of You", reached No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Rock Songs chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/cake/chart-history/ark/ |title=Cake Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 5, 2020}}</ref>

A few of the songs on the album charted in the United States, including "Sick of You" (which reached No. 8 on the Bubbling Under chart and No. 4 on the Alternative Songs chart); "Long Time", which peaked at No. 15 on the Alternative Songs chart; and "Mustache Man (Wasted)", which reached No. 22 on the Alternative Songs chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/cake/chart-history/hbu/ |title=Cake Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/cake/chart-history/mrt/ |title=Cake Chart History (Alternative Airplay) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 5, 2020}}</ref>

==Background== Near the beginning of recording, John McCrea and other members of the band stated that their new album would sound very different from their previous material.<ref name="gagnon"/> In an interview with the Sacramento News, McCrea revealed that the music on the album would range from "aggressive rock songs" to "weird pseudo classical compositions".<ref name="cakeSolar"/> This album marked the first time that the band employed piano, which McCrea had previously eschewed because he felt it sounded "too classy". This was also the first time McCrea used reverb for any vocal tracks; he had previously avoided the effect because he thought too many bands used it as a "cheap" way to sound "grandiose".<ref name="SoundSpike">{{cite web |last=Fuoco-Karasinski |first=Christina |date=November 16, 2010 |title=Q&A: John McCrea of Cake |url=http://www.soundspike.com/features/tour/1049-cake_tour_q_a_john_mccrea_of_cake.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119071400/https://www.soundspike.com/features/tour/1049-cake_tour_q_a_john_mccrea_of_cake.html |archive-date=November 19, 2010 |access-date=December 5, 2010 |website=Soundspike.com}}</ref>

==Recording and release== During the first recording sessions, Cake released a statement saying the band would convert the electrical components in their studio so it would work solely on solar power.<ref name="gagnon">{{cite magazine|first=Jill|last=Gagnon|title=Interview- Cake|url=http://www.mytelus.com/music/interview_details.do?id=750964|magazine=Billboard |date=2008-10-09 |access-date=2011-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021023100/http://www.mytelus.com/music/interview_details.do?id=750964 |archive-date=2008-10-21}}</ref><ref name="cakeSolar"/> Panels were installed by Borrego Solar and all of ''Showroom of Compassion'' was recorded using the new system.<ref name="cakeSolar">{{cite web | title = Cake Solar | website= Cakemusic.com | url = http://www.cakemusic.com/solar.html | access-date = January 19, 2011 }}</ref> Subsequently, the album was recorded solely on solar energy in Cake's refitted studio, rechristened "Upbeat Studio".<ref name="booklet"/>

The band also offered a limited autographed version of the album for pre-sale.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|title = Cake News|url = http://www.cakemusic.com/news.html|access-date = 2011-01-23|website= Cakemusic.com|quote = Newsflash for November 29, 2010 The members of CAKE are looking forward to signing your pre-ordered copy of Showroom of Compassion album. We'll be setting this Wednesday 12-1-10 as a cut-off time for those wishing to purchase an autographed copy.|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120224051705/http://www.cakemusic.com/news.html|archivedate = February 24, 2012}}</ref>

The album was released in Australia in May 2011 through Inertia Music.

Cake worked with Callicore Studio in 2011 and released an animated music video for the song "Long Time".

==Packaging== The design for ''Showroom of Compassion'' marks a slight stylistic departure from previous Cake releases. The cover features a shaded, framed image instead of the band's usual flat-color printed imagery. The design for the album is credited to Aesthetic Apparatus.<ref name="booklet"/> In keeping with the band's environmental activism, the album insert notes that the material used to make the album was "100% recycled paper stock and vegetable dyes".<ref name="booklet">{{cite AV media notes| title = Showroom of Compassion| others= Cake| year = 2011| type = liner| publisher = Upbeat Records}}</ref> The physical release of ''Showroom of Compassion'' was packaged with a temporary tattoo of a bee, which the band asked fans to apply to themselves, take pictures of, and post online.<ref name="tat">{{cite web|title = Cake News|url = http://www.cakemusic.com/news.html|access-date = 2011-01-23|website= Cakemusic.com|quote = Newsflash for November 20, 2010 Look in the sleeve of your vinyl album or compact disc when you receive your pre-ordered copy of "Showroom of Compassion." You'll find a beautiful and sturdy temporary tattoo! Take a photo of the applied tattoo! Post it on our website! Details to come...|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120224051705/http://www.cakemusic.com/news.html|archivedate = February 24, 2012}}</ref>

==Critical reception== {{Album ratings | MC = 72/100<ref name="MC"/> | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web|last=Deming|first=Mark|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=showroom-of-compassion-r2072195|pure_url=yes}}|title= Showroom of Compassion - Cake|website=Allmusic|access-date=2011-01-19}}</ref> | rev2 = ''The A.V. Club'' | rev2score = B+<ref name="avclub">{{cite news|last=Singer|first=Brett|url=https://www.avclub.com/cake-showroom-of-compassion-1798166884|title= Cake: Showroom of Compassion|newspaper=The A.V. Club|date=2011-01-11|access-date=2011-01-19}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Consequence of Sound'' | rev3score = {{rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="cos">{{cite magazine|last=Buchanan|first=David|url=https://consequence.net/2011/01/album-review-cake-showroom-of-compassion/|title=Album Review: Cake – Showroom Of Compassion|magazine=Consequence of Sound|date=2011-01-11|access-date=2011-01-19}}</ref> | rev4 = ''Entertainment Weekly'' | rev4score = B+<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Vozick-Levinson | first=Simon | url=https://ew.com/article/2011/01/06/showroom-compassion/ | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=2011-01-14 | title=Music Review: Showroom of Compassion, by Cake}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Paste'' | rev5score = 7.7/10<ref name="paste">{{cite magazine|last=Moore|first=Bo|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/01/cake-showroom-of-compassion.html|title=Cake: Showroom of Compassion |magazine=Paste|date=2011-01-12|access-date=2011-01-19}}</ref> | rev6 = ''PopMatters'' | rev6score = 7/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Conaton |first=Chris |url=https://www.popmatters.com/135942-cake-showroom-of-compassion-2496088019.html |title=Cake: Showroom of Compassion < PopMatters |website=PopMatters |date=2011-01-20 |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref> | rev7 = ''Rock Sound'' | rev7score = 6/10<ref>{{cite web|author=Tim Newbound |url=http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/cake-showroom-of-compassion#When:09:00:00Z |title=Cake - Showroom Of Compassion | Reviews |website=Rocksound.tv |date=2011-01-26 |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref> | rev8 = ''Rolling Stone'' | rev8score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Dolan|first=Jon|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/showroom-of-compassion-20110111|title=Showroom of Compassion|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=2011-01-11|access-date=2012-07-29}}</ref>  }}

''Showroom of Compassion'' was generally well received by music critics.<ref name="MC">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/showroom-of-compassion/cake|title= Critic Reviews for ''Showroom of Compassion'' by CAKE|website=Metacritic|access-date=2011-01-11}}</ref> Metacritic, a review aggregator website, gave the album an average score of 72 out of 100 from 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favourable reviews".<ref name="MC"/> Many critics complimented the band for sticking to their unique style. Mark Deming from AllMusic writes, "Willful eccentricity is something that demands a certain degree of commitment [...] So Cake are to be commended for sticking to their oddball guns for close to 20 years."<ref name="Allmusic"/> Brett Singer from ''The A.V. Club'' maintained that "[The album] isn't a huge departure from what Cake boss John McCrea and company have done before.... But as with your favorite dessert, there's nothing wrong with another helping."<ref name="avclub"/>

==Commercial performance== ''Showroom of Compassion'' was a commercial success. Domestically, the album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, the Top Alternative Albums, Independent Albums, and the Rock Albums charts.<ref name="Album">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=cake|chart=all}}|title=''Showroom of Compassion'' - Cake|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 20, 2011}}</ref> On the ''Billboard'' 200, the album moved 44,000 copies, making it the lowest-selling number-one album since ''Billboard'' began using Nielsen SoundScan to track unit sales,<ref name="Yahoo">{{cite web | last = Grein | first = Paul | title = Week Ending Jan. 16, 2011: Albums: Even Lower | publisher = Yahoo! News | date = January 19, 2011 | url = http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/73781/week-ending-jan-16-2011-albums-even-lower/ | access-date = January 19, 2011 }}</ref> until Amos Lee's ''Mission Bell'' set the record two weeks later.<ref name="Yahoo2">{{cite web | last = Grein | first = Paul | title = Week Ending Jan. 30, 2011: Albums: Good News & Bad News | publisher = Yahoo! News | date = February 2, 2011 | url = http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/74326/week-ending-jan-30-2011-albums-good-newsbad-news/ | access-date = February 3, 2011 }}</ref> Despite it being the band's first top ten album, the album sold considerably fewer copies than previous albums that had debuted at lower positions.<ref name="Yahoo"/> In its second week it fell to No. 25, selling another 15,000 after a decline of 67%. As of 2017, it is the fifth largest fall from No. 1; at the time it was the largest drop since 2006's ''Light Grenades'' by Incubus. In Canada, the album debuted at No. 15.<ref name="Album" />

==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = Standard edition<ref name="cmj">{{cite web | last = Herr | first = Friederike | title = Cake To Release 'Showroom Of Compassion,' Pre-Order Starts Now | publisher = CMJ | date = 2010-10-04 | url = http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=197548257 | access-date = 2010-10-06 }}</ref> | total_length = 40:24 | title1 = Federal Funding | writer1 = McCrea, McCurdy, Nelson | length1 = 3:50 | title2 = Long Time | writer2 = McCrea, DiFiore | length2 = 4:36 | title3 = Got to Move | writer3 = McCrea | length3 = 3:40 | title4 = What's Now Is Now | note4 = Frank Sinatra cover | writer4 = Bob Gaudio, Jake Holmes | length4 = 3:37 | title5 = Mustache Man (Wasted) | writer5 = McCrea, McCurdy, Nelson | length5 = 4:04 | title6 = Teenage Pregnancy | writer6 = McCrea | length6 = 2:41 | title7 = Sick of You | writer7 = McCrea, McCurdy | length7 = 3:18 | title8 = Easy to Crash | writer8 = McCrea | length8 = 4:08 | title9 = Bound Away | writer9 = McCrea, Nelson | length9 = 3:25 | title10 = The Winter | writer10 = McCrea, DiFiore | length10 = 4:06 | title11 = Italian Guy | writer11 = McCrea | length11 = 3:11 }} {{Track listing | headline = iTunes bonus tracks | title12 = Huge Misunderstanding | writer12 = DiFiore, McCurdy, Tom Ze | length12 = 2:38 | title13 = The Federal Funding March | note13 = pre-order bonus track | writer13 = | length13 = 3:36 | title14 = Sick of You | note14 = music video | writer14 = | length14 = 3:25 }}

==Personnel== *John McCrea – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, Nord keyboards *Vincent DiFiore – trumpet, euphonium, various keyboards *Xan McCurdy – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer *Gabriel Nelson – bass guitar, electric guitar, Rheem organ, other things *Paulo Baldi – drums

===Additional musicians=== * *Tom Monson – drums *Aaron Redfield – drums *Pete McNeal – drums *Greg Brown – electric guitar on "Bound Away" *Charlie Wallace – pedal steel on "Bound Away"

==Charts== {{col-start}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2011) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- {{album chart|BillboardCanada|15|artist=Cake|rowheader=true|access-date=May 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|1|artist=Cake|rowheader=true|access-date=May 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|1|artist=Cake|rowheader=true|access-date=May 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardIndependent|1|artist=Cake|rowheader=true|access-date=May 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRock|1|artist=Cake|rowheader=true|access-date=May 7, 2021}} |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2011) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| US Top Rock Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2011/top-rock-albums|title=Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2011|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref> | 59 |} {{col-end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Showroom Of Compassion}} Category:2011 albums Category:Cake (band) albums Category:Upbeat Records albums