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The lowdown: Cage the Elephant, the megastars of alt-rock, have done a lot since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2008. They have covered a wide range of genres, ranging from unvarnished blues rock from their debut to the alternative to the Pixies of Thank you, happy birthday and the haunting eccentricity of Mélophobie. They have even reached the star status of the festival since 2015. Tell me I'm beautifulbut what often follows star status is a bland array of ready-made melodies for Coachella.
With the arrival of the last record of the group, Social indicesCage the Elephant builds on the foundation they have built with their previous album, both for its advantage and for its disadvantage. Or Tell me I'm beautiful lacked vivacity, Social indices tries to preserve its musicality while exploring new themes. But with the fame they gained at the level of stars, this album sounds like most of the songs were written thinking about alternative radio.
(Buy: Tickets for upcoming Cage the Elephant tickets)
Good: Although Social indices can feel monotonous, its opening is anything but. "Broken Boy" reflects the abrasive mania heard on previous Cage the Elephant titles, such as "Sabertooth Tiger" and "Teeth". He staggers through a lo-fi style of production in the intro, finally bursting into a surf-punk groove highlighting the embarrbading attraction of singer Matt Shultz. The single "House of Glbad" is another remarkable example, with a guitar progression as disturbing as Shultz 's lyrics about isolation and mutilation.
thematically, Social indices focuses on Shultz's recent divorce with his wife, and much of the disc carries a dark weight. While exploring dark patterns is not new to a band like Cage the Elephant, divorce is a new subject for Shultz. It is in this perspective that this album feels the most distinct from its predecessor.
The bad: The lamentations about Shultz's divorce can maintain a sadness across the disc, but his expressions are rarely so deep. On "Skin and Bones", he sings: "Close your eyes and fight to continue." During the band's collaboration with Beck, "Night Running", he asks, "Are we really or are we pretending?" focuses almost entirely on divorce, new perspectives are scarce.
Musically, most Social indicesThe songs are presented as generic couplet-chorus structures with the ultimate goal of charting alternative radio. "Night Running," Cage the Elephant's essay on a trap-inspired song, is the best example. It's a perfect song for open festival fields and big city parks, but beyond its limits, it looks like mere pimping. Lead's "Ready to Let Go" single works the same way. Predictable and harmless, it does nothing to advance the stylistic evolution of Cage the Elephant.
The title track is a half-tempo walk, probably the band's next single, with a synthesizer designed to fit the alt-pop charts such as AJR and lovelytheband. The last half of the album is also largely forgotten, with the exception of his sincere closing ballad, "Goodbye". Now that Cage the Elephant has the status it has, it would be interesting to see him take more risks, but Social indices may be their safest record so far.
The verdict: Cage the Elephant is one of the largest alternative rock bands at present. While their Arctic Monkeys contemporaries have completely reinvented their 2018 version and Vampire Weekend offers an ambitious double album this May, Cage the Elephant has come up with a bunch of generic, radio-friendly singles. It would have been fascinating to see the band take a radical turn and get into experimentation, but instead they came back with a rather disappointing fifth album.
Essential tracks: "Broken Boy", "House of Glbad" and "Goodbye"
Buy: Check out the Cage the Elephant vinyl here.
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