In case you have either been living under a rock for the past ten years, exiled alternative music from your life, or have simply not been paying attention, than you have heard of or at least heard the band Cage the Elephant at some point. Even if you haven’t, I can guarantee you can expect to hear about their newest album Tell Me I’m Pretty and I wouldn’t be surprised if it the album puts itself in a position as a contender for a Grammy.
The newly released studio album from the critically acclaimed Alternative Rock band ventures into new unexplored sounds and themes for the band which ultimately comes together in the form of a truly fantastic album. The group dives into themes that could one could go so far to say are dark and slightly sinister with such songs as “Too Late to Say Goodbye” and “Cold Cold Cold.” Though these themes of depression and pain have been seen before in other lyrics by the band, never before have they been so prominent and meaningful than in this album. Despite the dark lyrical content, the band still manages to create instrumentals that make you feel angst and despair (such as “How are You True” and “Trouble”) as well as energetic and alive (such as “Cry Baby Cry” and “Punching Bag”). A big contributing factor to the new sound can be credited to the producer of the album Dan Auerbach, the lead singer and guitarist for The Black Keys. What I found to be interesting was upon my first listen, I found traces of a lot of surfer rock influences in songs such as “Cry Baby” and “Mess Around” while also picking up bit and pieces of a 60’s style rock influence. Matthew Schultz’s vocals serve as the cherry on top of what is already a masterpiece, showing diversity and range. The only problem I had with the vocals was the excessive use of echoing and a heavy amount of bass added to his voice. Though I found the album to be a masterpiece in it’s own right, I question if it will ultimately stand the test of time. Though I found a lot of these songs to be catchy and entertaining, I doubt that any single song or songs will reach a level of fame that “Aint No Rest For the Wicked” has attained. In the end, Cage the Elephant has provided audiences around the world with something to be excited about through Tell Me I’m Pretty.
Listen to “Trouble” from Tell Me I’m Pretty.
