Flavour Of The Week

Band of the Week - Cage the Elephant

The Kentucky Rocker's New Album

For those of you who have not heard of my pick for this week's band of the week, Cage the Elephant hail from Kentucky, United States and I guarantee you that the band's name is every bit as enigmatic as their music, but that's what makes the quintet such an endearing package. Spearheaded by eccentric frontman Matthew Shultz, the group fuse together your typical alternative rock with a partially revived punk blues sound.

The band's first, self-titled, album, Cage the Elephant, was recorded in just 10 days, released to great critical acclaim, and left its listeners reeling from a sound that hit them like "a punch in the face" according to lead vocalist, Shultz. So, what's to like about that? Their first album tells tales of guilty pleasures, none more so than on their third released single, Ain't No Rest for the Wicked, and to tell you the truth, their light-hearted take on all things socially relevant is hard not to be enticed by.

So, what now for the raucous five-piece? On their upcoming second album, Thank You Happy Birthday, they seek to find a more soulful sound, indicative of their growing age and maturity as a band. If their first single, Shake Me Down, is anything to go by, Cage the Elephant have finally found a less turbulent, more concise sound, that they seemingly ease into in natural fashion. As expected, vibrant guitar flourishes and Shultz's raw emotion are still prominent throughout the course of the track. In my opinion, the band have finally found their forté in their latest helping of controlled chaos.

Their new album is scheduled for release on iTunes on 21st March and here's the link to the brand new single, Shake Me Down - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v27TRan1SBI

If You Listen to Anything this Week, Listen to...
Foo Fighters - Rope:

A Beautiful Man, With A Beautiful 'Stache

Dress it up however you like, Foo Fighters kick ass. In fact, they have the ability to repeatedly kick ass, then provide an in-depth commentary into just how they kick ass, and present it as a single. Their latest helping of refined brashness is no different. The typical Foo formula for success is instigated once again on new single, Rope. Throw together Dave Grohl's ingenious songwriting along with a purely emotion-fuelled performance on the drums as well as one hell of a guitar solo too, and, hey presto, you've got yourself another hit.

You can't help but wonder that, if it wasn't for Dave Grohl et al, the rock-based music scene would be a whole lot less exciting, dominated by Nickelback, and, as a consequence, the world would be a worse place to live in. Here's the link to new single, Rope - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At3rZUgQsh8

Cults - Go Outside:
My second single of the week is the brainchild of a band whose image is possibly more innocent than kittens, rainbows and a Mogwai rolled into one. Boy/girl duo Cults are an unknown quantity to some extent; I could tell you more about quantum physics than I could about their history as a band. This is largely down to the fact that searching for information on the group seems to be a less worthwhile effort than searching for the meaning of life, but mainly because I am, in fact, a young, British, facial hairless Albert Einstein.

With a lazy bassline reminiscent, in effect, to that of Peter, Bjorn, and John's cult hit, Young Folks, Go Outside floats on like a dream, pausing only to appreciate it's own natural beauty, as pertained through it's softly cutting glockenspiel melody. Here's the link to that song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHhEBqRTXdk