Thank You Happy Birthday

Cage The Elephant's Thank You Happy Birthday is both surprising and impressive. This album makes it clear that they already knew what they wanted their music to sound like before their debut. When bands have a very strong first album, it's hard to follow it up with something that is fresh and still their own. Some bands can buck that trend, but few rarely do. Reading that they worked on 80 song ideas while on tour only makes me even more anxious for the third album.Whatever they have in the water in KY, it seems to be working. This is the best sophomore album in recent memory.On the one hand this album has some tracks that are much more polished than the first one. Songs like "Always Something," "Aberdeen" and "Right Before My Eyes" sound like they could have come right off of BRMC's Baby 81.Yet it still has that raw energy that makes CTE so powerful. "Sell Yourself," "Japanese Buffalo" and "Sabertooth Tiger" have the same raw energy that made "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" such a great single.Other songs stand alone as stripped down indie rock. I love the smoother "Flow" and "Rubber Ball."The melodic "Shake Me down" and "Around My Head" have clear pop melodies mixed with a hard edge that reminds me of some of the best of 90s rock.It's hard to listen to "2024" without hearing the influence of classic punk rockers like The Ramones. And the rocking rhythm of "Indy Kidz" is infectious.CONCLUSIONIt's difficult to overstate how diverse and impressive this album is. I have seen this band a few times during their first tour, and their live performances have the same immediacy as their albums have had thus far. I highly recommend you give this record a listen. Not every song will appeal to every listener, but most will find at least a few tracks to their liking. And I suspect that the rest will grow on a lot of people.Enjoy.

This is a fantastic album. It's not quite as political as their first one, but it's still got some great songs. "It's Always Something" and "2024" as well as "Sabertooth Tiger" are all very "Cage the Elephanty" songs, with a good mix of 'new' feel to them. And "Shake Me Down" and "Aberdeen" are awesome songs. They're all fun, beat driven, and slightly trippy (with some far more so than others). I'd recommend getting this album if you like the first one, but don't expect it to be quite so full of politics mixed with vinegar. The lyrics though, are spot on, and are very much something you could expect from CtE. While still maintaining a slight defiance, they remain poetic, and sharp and that's a tough line to follow. From start to finish, Thank You Happy Birthday both screams Cage the Elephant and also shows a slightly different, more... contemplative side to the band. They actually remind me a little of the Beatles, in the way they shift, while still making awesome music.

First of all, when I bought this from Amazon I selected 2-day shipping and i got in 1 day. Awesome (: This album is a great album, from begining to end, from a great band. Some aren't happy because of their change from the first to the latest album. Well, personally, I'm glad they did. In this album, from the slow to the fast songs, they show they're musical growth from the last couple years. Cage is one of the most important new bands to come in about the last 10 years. If I had to choose to buy this, I would do it again, no regrets. (Just if anyone was curious, the best album from 2011 so far is "Wasting Light" from the Foo Fighters but I think Cage might agree with me. Or maybe they will after they open up for them this fall! :D )

If there's one thing Cage the Elephant is not lacking, it's energy.Inspired by bands like The Violent Femmes, The Pixies, and Butthole Surfers, Matt Shultz and company are back with the follow-up to their surprisingly successful self-titled debut. Although they achieved their initial success across the Atlantic in the U.K., word of their first energetic set eventually made it back to the U.S. and now, less than two years later, Cage the Elephant returns with "Thank You, Happy Birthday," which plays like a love letter to their idols."Always Something" leads off with an enraged scream, and guitars laced with tremolo and reverb effects to set a rather dark mood with obvious roots in punk. However, the real teen angst style punk influences come out on "Indy Kidz," "Sell Yourself" and "Japanese Buffalo."In a way, these tracks represent one side of a rather bipolar album. For every track Matt Shultz is found yelling more than singing, there's a radio-ready alternative rock hit with an addictive hook balancing the chaos.Although the live energy of Shultz's screams might be the feature of their live show, alternative pop songs like "Right Before my Eyes" will be the type of track that brings in the crowds.Every song on "Thank You, Happy Birthday" can be tied to an influence, most likely from the band members' personal record collections, but the most obvious influence is without a doubt The Pixies."Around My Head" and "Aberdeen" both sound like B-sides from the "Bossanova" era of The Pixies. Matt Shultz channels the pitched high notes and emotional cries of Frank Black perfectly.It's not as much a recreation of The Pixies' sound as it is a tip of the hat to their brilliance.Cage the Elephant is a band still in the midst of self-discovery. Their first album shot them quickly into the limelight and while they're certainly capable of handling the pressure, "Thank You, Happy Birthday" feels like a step back for them.Anyone new to the band should pick up their debut first, but the majority of "Thank You, Happy Birthday" is still absolutely worth the purchase.Similar Artists: The Libertines, The PixiesTrack Suggestion: "Right Before My Eyes"