Today’s topic is the band Cage the Elephant. It is my second favorite band, my first being The Black Keys, for several reasons. While it’s labeled a rock band, it has a wide variety of sounds. Most people have heard their most famous single Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked but not everyone ventures past that. Their best-selling, debut album is Cage the Elephant. It contains songs like the crude anthem Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, the high energy, adrenaline-driven last track Free Love, and then Back Against the Wall which resembles funk mixed with rock. All eleven tracks are entrenched against authority or some part of society they deem evil. Their second album Thank You Happy Birthday, explores a new sound. It is filled with strange voiceovers and covers more abstract concepts. The songs Rubber Ball and Flow take a completely different turn towards the low key. It’s no longer the fast and heavy guitars but steady beat and a single guitar relying heavily on melancholy vocals. The contrast of these songs with their previous music and their skill in experimenting with new sounds adds to Cage the Elephants credibility in the music world. In their third and newest album Melophobia, meaning the fear of music, is my favorite album they’ve come out with. It shows a different side of the band. It offers a new kind of music that feels more authentic. The lyrics are less stressed and flow better.

They often switch suddenly from smooth-sounding music to almost shouting. Now lots of bands do this but Cage the Elephant uses the contrast of the pieces to enhance the overall sound. The song Shake Me Down is a great example of this. Matt Shultz, the band’s frontman, has a voice that matches well with the variety of instrumental overlays and undertones. Then there is the song Come a Little Closer. In this expertly-pieced-together song, the guitar parts stray from the usual song combination of riffs and choruses. Come a Little Closer is a series of musical interludes separated by chords. They guitar plays seamlessly with the other instruments and the vocals. The song doesn’t feel heavy handed at any points which can be a problem when several sounds are playing at once.

Cage the Elephant is definitely a band worth listening to. By the way they are touring with none other than The Black Keys this year.