In 1997, CAKE was at a career crossroads. The success of their Fashion Nugget LP brought them mainstream attention and their iconic single “The Distance” helped their 1996 sophomore LP reach Gold status before the year’s end. Unfortunately, their peak is when things started to fall apart. With the departure of their guitarist Greg Brown and bassist Victor Damiani, the frontman and creative force behind CAKE John McCrea was forced to change directions. With a blank slate and a thirst for a new sonic direction, McCrea led CAKE into 1998 with one mission: A third LP. The results of his newfound freedom resulted in Prolonging The Magic, CAKE’s third studio LP and the most ambitious album the band put their name on at the time.
Prolonging The Magic was released on October 6, 1998, 25 years today. Even two and a half decades later, you can feel the uncertainty in these songs. McCrea was free to write and produce an entire LP by himself with a guest list of rotating musicians to fill in the gaps left by Brown and Damiani. One of those musicians, guitarist Xan McCurdy, would become the first full-time replacement for their former guitarist. There is a lack of CAKE’s signature, snarky sense of humor on their third outing, seemingly ridding themselves of the element that made everyone fall in love with songs like “The Distance”. While Prolonging The Magic is one of the more conventional LPs in CAKE’s discography, it is its own use of modern tropes that makes it such a strange creative turn for the band.
While plenty of critics questioned the band’s sonic direction on Prolonging The Magic, the numbers don’t lie. The album was certified Platinum in 1999 and produced the hit “Never There”, which spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. Outside of its commercial success and opinions from late 90’s rock magazines, there are moments on the album that show McCrea’s creative progression. “Mexico” is a troubadour-style tune with just enough twang while “Guitar” is a warm indie-rock track that hinted at the sonic turn the genre would take in the coming years. Through blaring horn sections and infectious drum patterns, CAKE crafted an album that painted them in a new light and expressed a new side of their artistry.
Prolonging The Magic captures the freedom of commercial success and flips it on its head with the band making a departure from the tropes that made them so popular. McCrea saw CAKE’s third LP as an opportunity to put his creativity on full display and he succeeded with flying colors. The album is brimming with an array of tones and moods while finding consistency in the band’s use of convention. 25 years later, Prolonging The Magic stands as a pillar to the band’s restless creativity and showcases CAKE’s diverse abilities via modern tropes mixed with CAKE’s signature style.
