Cage the Elephant released its second studio album, Thank You Happy Birthday, last Tuesday.
The album is highly experimental with an assortment of random sounds and odd instrumentation that take the place of more mainstream rhythms and beats in most of the songs.
Some of these unique sounds are successful and interesting, while others are annoying and distracting.
This is certainly one of the more creative and distinctive albums to be released in recent years, but it is also an album that demands more of the listener.
It is an album that one must appreciate for the intricate, new progressions that the band offers, and not for the catchy lyricism or rhythm.
This is an album that will likely grow on any patient listener in time. What Thank You Happy Birthday is not, however, is your standard alternative rock album.
The tone of the album is very dark with heavy use of deep bass and synthesizers in the background to create a tension that is both chaotic and intriguing.
The use of vocals is also very important on the album. Most of the songs are sung by the distinctive nasally tone of Matt Schultz, the lead singer; however, Cage the Elephant also experiments with rap as well as just speaking the lyrics.
The band is also quite fond of using distorted vocals throughout the album, which adds a lot to the always wild, sometimes crazed sound of the band. One song that’s particularly worth a listen is the first single off the album, “Shake Me Down,” which is also their most straightforward and least experimental track.
However, it is a fantastic song that does a wonderful job building up from a slow melodic beginning to a loud and raucous end and back again.
Another great track is the first song on the album, “Always Something,” which is the band’s most successful experimental song on Thank You Happy Birthday and uses a catchy back beat mixed with distorted and synthesized rhythms to create a fresh sound.
Many of the lyrical elements of the songs on Thank You Happy Birthday are surprisingly excellent with innovative metaphors and catchy refrains.
Although sometimes Cage the Elephant does seem to stretch meanings to the point of nonsense, that is not unexpected given just how ‘out there’ this album really is.
Thank You Happy Birthday is not an album for everyone. However, it is perfect for those that are tired of the same old sound being recycled in the modern rock scene.
It is, above all, a bold and experimental album that at times is a notable success and at others stumbles over its own innovativeness.
