Cake: B-Sides & Rarities : B

Lately it seems like alt rock innovators Cake have spent more time advancing their political beliefs than putting out new music. \nIt comes as no surprise, then, that B-Sides & Rarities, a collection of previously unreleased tracks, starts off with a cover of Black Sabbath's anti-war anthem "War Pigs." Here, frontman John McCrea, in the vein of Ozzy Osbourne, abandons the playful, subtle political commentary of past albums in favor of a rant that sounds more like Linkin Park than Cake. But after the scare of this first track, the rest of the album goes fairly smoothly and reminds Cake fans what they've been missing in the three years.\nMost of the tracks on B-Sides are covers, letting the band that first gained acclaim after its take on Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" flaunt its genre-bending abilities. The honky-tonk "Excuse Me, I Think I've Got A Heartache," originally performed by country veteran Buck Owens, shows why the boys from Sac-town are one of the only non-country acts Owen has invited to perform at his Crystal Palace.\nThe only four tracks that aren't covers are two lukewarm live recordings of old material, a pulsating bleeps-and-synthesizer instrumental and a live version of "War Pigs." Fortunately, the spots where the band gets to show off its trademark sound make up the difference, providing the elements Cake fans have come to expect: quirky country, bouncy funk and playful vocals.