"Federal Funding," the opening track on Showroom of Compassion (in stores January 11; pre-order on iTunes now), Cake's first album since 2004, is about as groovy as a song can possibly get with lyrics that seem as though they were lifted from an internal memo written by middle management at a government contractor. Singer John McCrea is as droll as ever, somehow merging his incredibly dry subject matter with a strange parody of detached rock swagger. In director Owen Cook's video for the song, animated construction workers build an empty coliseum on a grim, earth-toned landscape. The mood of the clip matches the sound of the tune perfectly.