Showroom Of Compassion  by Cake

Showroom Of Compassion, released on January 11, 2011, is the sixth studio album by CAKE and their first after a seven-year silence. After parting ways with Columbia, the band returned to their independent roots through their own label, Upbeat Records. The lineup at the time included John McCrea (vocals, acoustic guitar), Vincent DiFiore (trumpet, keyboards), Xan McCurdy (electric guitar), Gabriel Nelson (bass), and Paulo Baldi (drums). Original guitarist Greg Brown participated as a guest on the track Bound Away. The production was done by the band itself at Upbeat Studio in Sacramento, California. A notable detail is that the recording (2009–2010) was conducted using 100% solar energy, emphasizing the band's ecological consciousness.

The album retains their recognizable "dry" sound: alternative rock infused with funk bass lines, ironic lyrics, DiFiore's characteristic trumpet, and McCrea's "vibraslap". The singles Sick Of You and Long Time stood out, with the former achieving great success on alternative charts. The cover, a creation by Aesthetic Apparatus, depicts a tiger with red eyes attacking a man, deviating from the older aesthetic of simple colors.

Despite its independent release, Showroom Of Compassion surprised everyone by topping the Billboard 200 in its first week, selling approximately 44,000 copies. It was a triumphant return that proved CAKE's "unique" style remained relevant, even in a landscape that had changed drastically since the '90s.