Cake’s sixth studio release, “Showroom of Compassion,” is surprisingly safe for what fans expect of this innovative band.

Between new and fresh sounds staying true to its roots, this album contains bizarre lyrics that are both captivating and catchy. “Mustache Man” maintains Cake’s classic rhythmic clapping, and “Easy to Crash” elicits the familiar edgy rock and synthesizers signature of Cake’s 2004 album, “Pressure Chief.”

But, the one-dimensionality of the album is disappointing. The repetitive arrangement in “What’s Now is Now” decries the band’s powerful use of odd instruments like the vibraslap and melodica.

However, Cake mixed it up by incorporating banda, a traditional Mexican genre with thick trumpet sounds, in songs like “Bound Away” and “Federal Funding.”

Though producing a fickle album with some songs too simplistic and cliché and others truly powerful and catchy, Cake does not fail to entertain.

2 out of 4 stars