Review Summary: A strong debut album. Very strong. However unless Cage the Elephant brings new ideas to the table or a way to harness their destructive live tendencies they won't go much farther than this.
Chances are unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year or two you’ve heard Cage the Elephant and probably already got an opinion about them. Sadly however just hearing Cage the Elephant alone isn’t enough to really present their best side; their energy. This truth also hampers their debut severely, because Cage the Elephant is frankly doing nothing new, albeit what they do is well executed.
Yes, cruel I know but deep in my heart I know I’ve heard their sound before. You know it too silly. One part blues, one part 90’s alternative, one part grunge, one part funk, etc. It’s like they took all the coolest sounds from the 70’s, tossed them through a filter of modern alternative influences and presto you got Cage the Elephant very bombastic, honest, and fun sound. Their debut album is a very, very fun listen.
And oh is the energy there on the album. “In One Ear” pummels the listener with a pretty vicious lead riff and very direct lyrics. Matt Shultz shrieks, howls, and sometimes stammers but heck he always give you every bit of magic he’s got and it really shows through on the album. The writing is also pretty clever, and the sound is very tight for a first outing from a young band. “Lotus” moves through some pretty fascinating tempo changes and Lincoln Parish shows some pretty serious guitar chops. More guitar chops are abound in the hectic and fast-paced “Free Love”. Every track is very strong. There are no weak tracks and plenty of standouts. “Back Against The Wall” and “Aint No Rest For Wicked” are also both good radio singles. The former oozing all the most respectable grunge stylings and the latter being so catchy it makes your head want to explode (an uncommon but very real feat). I try not to listen to the radio often but it’s refreshing to know Cage the Elephant got a good amount of airplay. They deserve it. Maybe theirs hope for my local popular alternative fm stations after all. I have to say if someone would have told me a band like Mumford & Sons would receive airplay in Jacksonville I would have laughed at you. Things overall do seem to becoming a little less stale, just very slowly.
This brings me back to the point of their visual presentation. Every single one of their songs is geared for their live action. Every video hits you with a very reckless and youthful passion. This is a group of kids set to destroy every stage they set foot on. Think the same attitude the Strokes had when they released Is This It. Far too many bands these days forgot that rock was built on booze and good times. There’s a certain amount of respect that must be paid to the guys that figure this rock game out. Go watch their Jools Holland performance. It’s sloppy, very Kentucky fried, and yet so chaotic it was beautiful. It frankly sent shivers down my spine. Being a musician it’s so inspiring to see bands play with that kind of intensity. Matt Shultz certainly will remind many viewers of Mick Jagger or even Jim Morrison with his on-stage antics. Sadly you can’t put antics on an album unless you are Interpol. That’s why it’s a good album, even great, but they won’t be able to survive with good execution of dated ideas and that’s why I truly believe their next LP will be a much better with Cage the Elephants path. I also will predict success. They have a good foundation, now they just need to find a way to show you their real ambitions.
