''Motorcade of Generosity'' is the debut studio album by American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...

. It was recorded at the Pus Cavern studio in Sacramento, California, and released through

Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...

on February 7, 1994. According to ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' reviewer Madison Bloom, ''Motorcade of Geneoristy'' is a

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

album with "warm and close" songs that pull from different musical styles, such as

honky-tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) ...

and

ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk music ...

, and compared its style to "trailing notes down a stairwell into some subterranean tavern, where a

cantina A cantina is a type of bar common in Latin America and Spain. The word is similar in etymology to "canteen", and is derived from the Italian word for a cellar, winery, or vault. In Italy, the word ''cantina'' refers to a room below the ground ...

band plays over clinking pints." Music critic Daryl Cater deemed it an example of funky, guitar-oriented "quirk-rock" reminiscent of

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

's "genre-hopping

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

s".

Release

On January 14, 2009, a limited edition orange vinyl re-issue of the album was made available for purchase on the band's official website. It sold out in two days.

Reception

The album has received a mixed-to-favorable response from critics.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic Darryl Cater stated that "Cake's minimalist jams occasionally get repetitive", though he concluded that "there are enough standouts here to easily qualify ''Motorcade'' as a keeper." Music reviewer

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

described the album as "unambiguity from the near side of cool."

Legacy

In 2005, the song "I Bombed Korea" was translated into

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and performed by Zeev Tene under the title "Beirut" (), with "Korea" replaced by "

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

" in the lyrics. This version was included on the soundtrack of the film ''

Waltz with Bashir ''Waltz with Bashir'' ( he, ואלס עם באשיר, translit. ''Vals Im Bashir'') is a 2008 Israeli adult animated war documentary drama film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories of ...

'' (2008).

Track listing

Personnel

; Cake * John McCrea – vocals, guitar * Greg Brown – guitar, organ * Vince DiFiore – trumpet * Victor Damiani – bass * Todd Roper – drums ; Additional personnel * Frank French – drums on tracks 5, 8, 10, 11 * Gabriel Nelson – bass on tracks 5, 8, 10, 11 * Hag – extra background vocals

References

External links

* 1994 debut albums Cake (band) albums Capricorn Records albums Lo-fi music albums {{1990s-alt-rock-album-stub