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Written by Eva Connors Tuesday, 25 January 2011 13:04

The raw, unpolished vocals of Matthew Shultz and slinky, dance-floor rhythms are a huge departure from the band’s debut sound.
 

When I heard that Cage the Elephant had a new album out this year, I was entirely uninterested. Sure, their previous radio hits “Back Against The Wall,” “In One Ear” and “Ain't No Rest for the Wicked” were listenable enough, but the songs were also devoid of emotion and had little replay value. Three years after their self-titled debut, however, this five-piece from Kentucky has broken loose from the clean, bluesy grooves that made them famous.

Thank You, Happy Birthday cannot be pinned down. Noisy and impossible to sit still through, opening track “Always Something” is an assault on your ears in the best way possible. The raw, unpolished vocals of Matthew Shultz and slinky, dance-floor rhythms are a huge departure from the band’s debut sound.

The influences of Modest Mouse and the Pixies come through on songs such as “Aberdeen” and the bubbly “Around My Head.” “2024” is probably one of the most fun tracks on Thank You Happy Birthday, with light riffs and sing-songy vocals; a marked contrast from the fist-shaking, scene-criticizing “Indy Kidz” and “Sell Yourself.”

The first single off the album, “Shake Down,” starts much like the rest of their radio-friendly music. Unlike their previous singles, however, the instruments are unrestrained, taking over the chorus and demonstrating perfectly their transition of sound into their sophomore album. “Sabretooth Tiger” and “Japanese Buffalo” really drive the point home, full of post-punk aggression.

Not everything on this LP is noise and screaming, however. “Rubber Ball” is thrown into the mix, jarringly slow after six high-energy tracks. The ending of the album is kind of anti-climactic with the long, ballady “Flow.”

Thank You, Happy Birthday is a schizophrenic roller coaster of sounds and emotion. Though it isn't without flaws, Cage the Elephant really broke through their generic radio-rock sound and showed us how they really feel with a captivating (albeit confusing) torrent of raw energy. All told, this is an intriguing sophomore effort worth picking up. | Eva Connors

RIYL: Modest Mouse, Pixies, Violent Femmes