Eat More Cake - 'Climb the Ladder Live the Dream' (Double EP/Album Review)
Wednesday, 05 October 2011
Written by Victoria O'Hagan
The brain-child of London based songwriters Andy Briggs and Matt Pearn, Eat More Cake are back with new offering 'Climb the Ladder, Live the Dream'.
Despite the adolescent enthusiasm suggested by its title, this ambitious double EP is a wonderfully intelligent jumble of ideas, moods and attitudes in which orchestral grandeur presses up against hip-hop beats, and romantic idealism flirts with themes of nihilism, scepticism and contempt.
Highlights include the perfect summer radio song 'You’ll Be There', the simple tune backed by a chorus of warm humming as if the melody were being carried by a slow swarm of sleepy bees. 'Smoke and Mirrors' deserves a mention too, with guest vocalist Alexis Griffiths giving the song a mature Portishead-inspired sound whilst Andy raps philosophically about self identity, control and environment. Indeed, Eat More Cake are at their best when discussing big ideas. They’re not afraid to discuss philosophical and political issues and do so with a cool self-confidence.
'Glass Houses', EP 2’s opener, is a cynical musing on evolution and the human condition. Andy raps above the melody like a streetwise kid who’s been reading Plato - “if you only knew, you’d be truly amazed, those aren’t stars - they’re tiny little holes in the roof of the cave”. Monkeys scream in the distance as the song closes, to illustrate our not-too-distant ancestry. 'Music Box' is a headstrong defence of dreams and dreaming, and an attack on the capitalism and consumerism of the modern music industry. 'Story of my Life' is a rush of piano and strings (courtesy of the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra) with a brow-beaten vocal trying to be heard above the orchestral swell, as if to convey human powerlessness in the face of intense emotion.
Eat More Cake aren’t just well suited to complex lyrical song-writing, they’re also at home creating memorable instrumental pieces such as the stunning, chilled out and understated 'Age Of Sin', its melody punctuated by chirping birds, and the quirky 'Computer Apple Baby' which sounds like an 80’s arcade game having a conversation with a grand piano.
There are a few weaknesses to this 12 track effort, notably 'Red Sky' and 'Forever Dreaming'. 'Forever Dreaming' is musically quite strong, but the lyrics cross the line between charming naiveté and tedious immaturity. 'Forever Dreaming' sounds like a female pop singer’s effort to make a profound statement, when in fact it is the sound of a clever band accidentally writing something trite. Aside from this however, 'Climb the Ladder, Live the Dream' is an intelligent and thought-provoking affair. Musically diverse and lyrically engaging, Eat More Cake have real potential, and their double EP is well worth the hour it’ll take to listen to it.
Have a look at the video for 'Smoke and Mirrors' and see for yourself.
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Despite the adolescent enthusiasm suggested by its title, this ambitious double EP is a wonderfully intelligent jumble of ideas, moods and attitudes in which orchestral grandeur presses up against hip-hop beats, and romantic idealism flirts with themes of nihilism, scepticism and contempt.
