In many ways, CAKE's third album, Prolonging The Magic continues the iconoclastic trajectory of its predecessors. Led by vocalist/guitarist/songwriter John McCrea, the Sacramento group's 1994 debut, Motorcade Of Generosity, foreshadowed 1996's Fashion Nugget, CAKE's breakthrough which produced the modern rock hit "The Distance."

But Prolonging The Magic possesses a darker, more personal flavor -- especially in McCrea's lyrics: "I suppose I realized how chickenshit irony really is," he says. "I'm not giving up on it entirely -- it's a really good coping mechanism, but it prevents you from having a complete human experience when there's always a part of you that's snickering. Irony is something in which you recline - - it's not something you do out of strength."

In place of irony, Prolonging The Magic relies on openness, as exemplified by the album's debut single/video: "Never There" leads a parade of 13 songs rife with vocal harmonies and fueled by the band's signature sound -- guitars, trumpets, and lean grooves. "We try to keep it simple and concise," says McCrea; "a straightforward melodic and lyrical idea and, hopefully, some sort of compelling rhythmic foundation."

Even the most upbeat sounding tracks strike a balance between buoyancy and seriousness. Despite its tongue-in-cheek title, "Satan Is My Motor" refers to the duality of human nature: "Rather than being a slap at religion, the premise of the song is 'without understanding your own negative impulses and why they don't work, you can be good and yet not actually enjoy it or understand the pragmatism of good.'"

For their third album, CAKE recorded at both the Pus Cavern and Paradise studios in their Sacramento, CA hometown -- the same places where CAKE recorded Motorcade Of Generosity and Fashion Nugget. On Prolonging The Magic, the featured players of CAKE are McCrea, trumpeter Vince Di Fiore, drummer Todd Roper, and bassist Gabe Nelson. The album was recorded with various guitarists, including Chuck Prophet, Tyler Pope, and Jim Campilongo. When the band hits the road later this year, they will be joined by new guitarist Xan (pronounced "Zan") McCurdy.

Prolonging The Magic shows the increasing influence of country music: "I really like older country music," McCrea admits, "and I write songs in the plaintive voice." Bolstering this gesture is the use of pedal steel (played by Greg Vincent) on "Mexico," "When You Sleep," and "Walk On By," and the musical saw on "Guitar" (played by Richard Lyman). "For me," says McCrea, "the pedal steel and saw are great instruments that seem to make one question the laws of physics; you feel like gravity might be changing. They're similar to the human voice, yet different enough to cause some real cognitive dissonance. They provide a squirrelly, uncertain tonality. A certain amount of queasiness in music is a good balancing factor against the heaviness of the bass and drums."

In truth, since first forming in 1991, CAKE's success has revolved around the ability to strike a delicate balance between countervailing forces: aggression and subtlety; acceptance and rejection; and -- perhaps most importantly -- satire and empathy.

The wry wit, which has always been a CAKE asset, is still alive and well, but now the humor is sewn into the lining of each garment, rather than being worn as a lapel button. "It's mixed into the album," nods McCrea. "I think there are humorous elements to even the saddest songs on the record, and I like the friction that's created by having opposites stacked right next to each other. I savor that ambiguity, because that's what life is really like."

CAKE's latest album manages to strike a new type of balance -- this time between continuity and change. But even as the band evolves, McCrea acknowledges that irony is a tough habit to kick, as shown by the title Prolonging The Magic: "I thought it was funny, although I didn't think anybody else would. I don't know if I'll ever be able to completely eradicate all irony, but I'd like to."