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The Sacramento, California rock combo Cake have gained a cult audience with their groovy beats, cynical lyrics and a smoking brass section. Lead singer John McCrea's voice is instantly recognizable thanks to his flat baritone and deadpan, nearly spoken-word delivery. But McCrea can carry a tune and the rest of the band have a gift for melody, often incorporating elements of surf-rock jazz or mariachi horn flourishes. They caught MTV's attention with a modern, alt-rock reworking of Gloria Gaynor's ultimate disco classic "I Will Survive" of their sophomore album Fashion Nugget. Though casual listeners embraced it as ironic, McCrea swears that whenever Cake cover another artist's song (and they often do,) it's done with absolute sincerity. And once you got past the novelty of "I Will Survive," the rest of Cake's tunes proved to be seductively intriguing. The single "Going the Distance" was a minor hit, and tracks like "Frank Sinatra" and "Friend Is A Four Letter Word" displayed a trademark off-kilter sense of humor and were easy to hum. Critics had Cake pegged as a one hit wonder, but on their solid follow-up Prolonging the Magic, Cake proved them wrong. Rarely has so much complex lyrical commentary sounded quite so catchy as it does on tunes like "Never There," "You Turn the Screws" and "Satan Is My Motor." Many fans consider 2001's Comfort Eagle to be one of the band's best-the title track is an acerbic social commentary on religion and pop culture while tracks like "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "Love You Madly" keep fans dancing.

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