record review: Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday

“taste of blood/broken dreams/lonely times indeed/eyes cast down”

Thank You Happy Birthday is Cage the Elephant’s second album, and it heralds two things above all else: unironic, Cobain-esque self-loathing and PixiesPixiesPixies basslines/anger. “Indy Kidz” is menacing and self critical, spinning a fuzzy, surfer tornado prelude to “Shake Me Down”, a hesitantly hopeful (and ever so endearing) song lost among explosive songs predicting the apocalypse and lamenting the inevitable stings of mainstream success. The 90’s alt-rock influences are abundant, most strongly manifested in the merciless self-disparagement which Matt Shultz uses to reflect his band’s artistic cred (or what’s left of it). Like Nirvana’s tortured frontman before him, Shultz contemplates how fame, radio play and commercial endorsements have blighted his band’s vision. No longer is there a distinct “us vs them”, and that is scary as hell to the Kentucky band that started out with such an undeniably fearless stance. The songs ricochet back and forth from seizure-inducing to Jimmy Eat World tender, but Cage the Elephant resonate best as they rock the living daylights out of your ears and any amps. Nothing’s sacred, and nothing is spared.
3.8/5

the album was released last week, buy it HERE