Review Summary: At its best Cage The Elephant is an unpredictable piece of old school rock and roll, filled with tight riffs and insurgent lyrics aimed at anyone and everyone. Alas the best of Cage The Elephant rarely makes itself known in this inconsistent record
Cage The Elephant are here and they bring with them a revolution, at least, that’s what they’d like you to think. Of course, by the rebellious standards of the punk scene of the late 70’s this is all but a drop in a puddle, the sort of non-conformist rebellion that all teenagers love; the kind that takes no effort whatsoever. Fuelled by a relentless onstage energy the five piece alt-rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky soon became noticed, signing to EMI in 2007. Their self titled debut album hit stores one year later, harnessing the energy shown in their live act while also showing a restrained characteristic that is so often well suited to the studio. The only problem for vocalist Matt Schultz and company is that despite their best efforts the music displayed on
Cage The Elephant isn’t actually all that good.
With this said, the album actually starts very promisingly, with lead single
In One Ear opening proceedings. It is immediately obvious why this track was chosen as a single, a slow start soon makes way for a riotous lead riff that acts as a gateway for the cacophony of noise that is to follow. Smart, quirky lyrics are backed up by equally good music from all parties, and an unrelenting energy-fuelled sing-along chorus wraps the song up nicely.
James Brown follows this up nicely, an infectiously fun and soulful track tackling the supposed similarities of modern day music. One has to admit that the band have a point, with the unyielding onslaught of generic pop manufactured and sold to us in mass quantities it is hard not to agree, but after the rip-roaring start the band themselves fall into the same trap; becoming clones of those who passed before them.
The main problem with
Cage The Elephant is that after the first three or so tracks the album dies, literally. After such a promising start the energy that was propelling the album forwards dissipates almost as instantly as it entered. Grammatically incorrect second single
Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked completes the triumvirate of quality tracks that head the album but then comes a lull in the musical complexion. The turning point, as it happens is halfway through fourth track
Tiny Little Robots which unsurprisingly starts in the same powerful way that its predecessors showed throughout, only to close with the same uninspirational run-of-the-mill drivel shown in the tracks that follow it. The transition from original up-and-coming young band to unremarkable bystanders happens in a flash, and afterwards all seems bleak and lifeless. The slow, pounding sounds of
Back Stabbin’ Betty are comparable to a worse version of an early Kings Of Leon track while the uncompromisingly dull
Drones In The Valley does exactly that, just drone on.
The lyrical themes throughout the album vary from the moral to the ethical, and even occasionally skirt with the political and on the whole Cage The Elephant manage to mouth their opinions pretty thoroughly. With open invitations for drink and drugs arriving as early as the first track one would be forgiven to think that the lyrics are purely rebellious whereas in reality they are more often than not just casual observations. When things do get heated, as in
In One Ear they are delivered wholeheartedly and yet the whole thing feels forced; as if the band knows exactly what audience they want to attract and are going to go out of their way to get in there before their niche is filled by a near identical band using further wasteful profanities. The lyrical ideals are far too ideal for the modern day world, and while the lyrics do touch this subject in
Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked they have neither the staying power nor the controversy to be remembered, let alone make a difference.
So where does this leave Cage The Elephant? Well they have potential for sure, but so do many bands who will never realise it. If the energy that the band show in the first few songs can be extended to a whole album, then future releases could be great, until then however, I recommend the band in small doses only. Buy the singles instead of the full length, at least in this aspect the band have chosen correctly, with the single edit of
Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked actually surpassing the album version. Without a doubt Cage The Elephant are a band for the future, and this is where their attention should lie but then again what do I know? As vocalist Matt Shultz so eloquently puts it in
In One Ear I’m just another one of the “critic’s who despise [them]...adding fire to their flames”. Quite.
Recommended Tracks
In One Ear
James Brown
Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked
Overall 2.5 Average
