The Trash Can Sinatras - Cake [Japan Bonus Tracks] (CD)

All Music Guide

The Japanese version of the Trash Can Sinatras' 1990 debut Cake is an extended version of the original, treating fans with six more slices of sweet jangle and mouthwatering harmonies. “Drunken Chorus" recalls Oasis' mellow, acoustic moments -- the Noel Gallagher B-side “Talk Tonight" is a good example -- but the Trash Can Sinatras were cursed by bad timing, releasing a winsome British pop record when England was still hooked on raves and America had already given up on sensitive blokes from the U.K. after the Smiths failed to stretch their appeal beyond a devout collegiate cult. One can never have enough of Cake so this longer Japanese edition shouldn't be passed up, even by those who purchased the original U.S. copy. There's no filler in the bonus cuts. Frank Reader's vocals on “Tonight You Belong to Me" are warmer and more intimate than ever; it's like he's whispering in your ear. Cake draws inspiration from the Smiths, Aztec Camera, and the Bluebells, bands with ringing guitars and literate lyrics. Nevertheless, the Trash Can Sinatras are not trying to clone their idols. The spiky riffs of “Only Tongue Can Tell" and the soaring melodies of “Obscurity Knocks" reveal the group's obvious influences but they float on a laidback groove that is completely their own. Like the Smiths, they're able to stuff lyrics full of clever wordplay and witty confessions such as “But to face doom in a sock-stenched room all by myself/Is the kind of fate I never contemplate"; however, they're not as bummed out as Morrissey. Never given the attention it deserved upon its initial release -- although college stations did play “Only Tongue Can Tell" often -- Cake now reveals Scotland's the Trash Can Sinatras as the missing link between the Smiths and Coldplay.

- Michael Sutton, All Music Guide