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Track Listings
| 1. In One Ear |
| 2. James Brown |
| 3. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked |
| 4. Tiny Little Robots |
| 5. Lotus |
| 6. Back Against the Wall |
| 7. Drones in the Valley |
| 8. Back Stabbin' Betty |
| 9. Soil to the Sun |
| 10. Free Love |
Product Description
Product Description
Hailing from Kentucky, USA, Cage The Elephant release their debut self-titled album on Relentless Records. Recorded in Nashville, the albums mix of indie rock 'n' roll sees the band take influence from the likes of Jet, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Arctic Monkeys. The band's incendiary live shows have graced the road alongside a diverse selection of bands lead by Cage The Elephant admirers Queens of the Stone Age as well as bands including Pigeon Detectives, Foals, and The Wombats. The band also proved to be a resounding and undeniable highlight of The Great Escape and Reading & Leeds Festival. The singles 'Ain't No Rest for the Wicked' and 'In One Ear' are included.
Review
Cage The Elephant is a Kentucky five-piece, known for wreaking havoc wherever they lay their guitars. It's also the name of the first album from the explosive band, which was recorded, in true garage style, in 10 days. There's no over-production or waste on this gritty piece of rock and it shows the band to have the exuberance of The Vines, the social relevance of Hard Fi and the slide guitar of Beck!
More succinctly, ''It sounds like a punch in the face,'' says singer Matt Schultz. In One Ear is a definite two fingers up at the music industry (''I'm an antisocial anarchist who sounds like so and so! Rocknroll is dead I should have stayed at school'') and Ain't No Rest for the Wicked, the second single from the album, certainly makes you sit up and take notice. It's a sing-along rhythm and blues anthem for the disaffected. Expect to be hearing this blast out of cars for weeks.
Matt and his guitar-playing brother, Brad, have had some musical catching up to do. Having been brought up in the Christian south, they didn't get to listen to much varied music as children. This doesn't stop them citing influences as diverse as Bob Dylan (well, you've got to haven't you?) and Jay-Z, as well as...erm, Kenny G on their MySpace page. Mind you, Back Stabbin' Betty has a certain funky, strutty, Iggyness to it. Mostly, though, they sound like so and so.
Whilst the plucky intro to Judas makes you want to get up and dance, the refrain is more soulful. Thankfully the drumming of Jared Champion kicks in with the multi-layered chorus, leaving your emotions all over the place in one fell swoop.
And the name? In one interview they explained it comes from Indian philosophy where the elephant is the symbol of strength and goodness. ''It seems like people want to cage the elephant'', they said, ''it seems like they want to cage all the good in the world''. If you want to learn more about Indian philosophy read the Upinishads, but if you want to release some good time rock 'n' roll, listen to this album. --Susie Goldring
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By richarde
Format:Audio CD
This is great stuff. Raw and alive and it hits you right between the ears. For anyone familiar with the Nuggets collection featuring some of the greatest US garage bands of the 1960's, this is garage band music for the 21st century. For younger readers, once you've checked out Cage The Elephant, dig out some tracks by the likes of Count Five, Chocolate Watch Band, The Remains and the Electric Prunes and you'll see what I mean. It's the best debut album I've heard for ages.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By wallofmeyer
Format:Audio CD
This is just fantastic.. The band play with pace, attitude and conviction.. Its simply great contempory rock and roll personified. Who needs to waste time pondering if music should break into new ground when so much of whats vital about music is with us and this good. A Great live act too. Just buy and enjoy.. I know many that have..
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Steven Stewart
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
Well the first time I had ever heard of the band was with vocalist Matt Schultz appearance on British comedy show "Never Mind The Buzzcocks." He formed an unlikely alliance with Stephen Fry and Josie Long. The bands music wasn't played or even that heavily mentioned in the show, but thanks to Matts antic I became intrigued at what this band had to offer. Were they just another indy band with nothing new to give, or were they something fresh and original amongst a bland "pop-rock indy" music scene.
They are definitely the latter in that respect and have brought to a world audience possibly the best album of 2008. From "In One Ear" to "Free Love" Cage the Elephant present a delightful, cool, loud and crazy album that will have all the bland indy music lovers wake up and realise originality and talent when they hear it.
The vocals of Matt Schultz is definitely the most enticing part of the band as although it's not something I haven't heard before, he has a sort of reminiscent rebellious tone to his voice that I'm not sure why but remind me of the great punk bands the Ramones, The Clash and even the Sex Pistols. Cage The Elephant are nowhere near as controversial as these legendary bands, but they're certainly just as loud and abrupt and really make you want to get on your feet and go nuts when listening to their music.
The guitar and bass by Brad Shultz, Daniel Titchenor and Lincoln Parish definitely add to that old school feel and sometimes mimic the equally awesome guitar talents of Pistols guitarist Steve Jones.
My Top 5 are
1. Aint No Rest For The Wicked
2. In One Ear
3. Back Stabbin' Betty
4. James Brown
5. Free Love
They are definitely the latter in that respect and have brought to a world audience possibly the best album of 2008. From "In One Ear" to "Free Love" Cage the Elephant present a delightful, cool, loud and crazy album that will have all the bland indy music lovers wake up and realise originality and talent when they hear it.
The vocals of Matt Schultz is definitely the most enticing part of the band as although it's not something I haven't heard before, he has a sort of reminiscent rebellious tone to his voice that I'm not sure why but remind me of the great punk bands the Ramones, The Clash and even the Sex Pistols. Cage The Elephant are nowhere near as controversial as these legendary bands, but they're certainly just as loud and abrupt and really make you want to get on your feet and go nuts when listening to their music.
The guitar and bass by Brad Shultz, Daniel Titchenor and Lincoln Parish definitely add to that old school feel and sometimes mimic the equally awesome guitar talents of Pistols guitarist Steve Jones.
My Top 5 are
1. Aint No Rest For The Wicked
2. In One Ear
3. Back Stabbin' Betty
4. James Brown
5. Free Love
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well, let me cut straight to the chase - this is a superb album, full of raw energy and passion and is just about as good as heavy indie gets. Also, for a debut, these guys from Kentucky have produced something close to exceptional. The opener, 'In One Ear' is a big, brash, brilliant stunner, featuring a looping, bluesy riff and some great lyrics delivered in a breathless, half-sung, half-spoken ballsy sneer. Track two, 'James Brown', continues the high-tempo, high-energy feel of the album and is a more-than-decent cut, even if the chorus sounds a little like a Terrorvision track. 'Aint No Rest For The Wicked' is a bluesy, sleazy, slide-guitar driven song which is extremely catchy. 'Tiny Little Robots' is less impressive, but still manages to be a decent, hard-rocking album track with some nice guitar work towards the end.
Pleasingly enough, Cage The Elephant mix things up nicely to keep the album feeling varied and fresh. 'Lotus' reminds me heavily of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, being a gratifying rock/funk high energy hybrid. 'Back Against The Wall', a future single, is a stop/start piece of classy paranoia whereas 'Drones In The Valley' is a loud, crashing piece of heavy, infectious rock. It is evident throughout the album that one of the major talents in the band is guitarist Brad Shultz but his work really shines on the raw, but crafted, 'Judas'. Both 'Back Stabbin' Betty' and 'Soil To The Sun' are good, pedal to the metal rockers which bring us, almost breathless, to the last track, Cage The Elephant's first single, the high-tempo, adrenaline-pumping 'Free Love', which finishes the album on a high.
Cage The Elephant's debut is the kind of album which is so energetic, it can either leave you feeling pumped-up or exhausted, depending on your mood.... Read more ›
Pleasingly enough, Cage The Elephant mix things up nicely to keep the album feeling varied and fresh. 'Lotus' reminds me heavily of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, being a gratifying rock/funk high energy hybrid. 'Back Against The Wall', a future single, is a stop/start piece of classy paranoia whereas 'Drones In The Valley' is a loud, crashing piece of heavy, infectious rock. It is evident throughout the album that one of the major talents in the band is guitarist Brad Shultz but his work really shines on the raw, but crafted, 'Judas'. Both 'Back Stabbin' Betty' and 'Soil To The Sun' are good, pedal to the metal rockers which bring us, almost breathless, to the last track, Cage The Elephant's first single, the high-tempo, adrenaline-pumping 'Free Love', which finishes the album on a high.
Cage The Elephant's debut is the kind of album which is so energetic, it can either leave you feeling pumped-up or exhausted, depending on your mood.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By G. Horn
Format:Audio CD
I discovered these guys whilst watching Later...with Jools Holland. WOW!
What a revelation! Raw, energetic, funky, dirty, bluesy, garage rock n' roll! This is undoubtebly the best debut album of the year, and one of the best albums to be released in 2008, full stop. They are like the bastard love-child of The Stone Roses and funk-era Red Hot Chili Peppers, after a threesome with The Ramones. I'll be playing this album for a long time. BUY IT!!!
What a revelation! Raw, energetic, funky, dirty, bluesy, garage rock n' roll! This is undoubtebly the best debut album of the year, and one of the best albums to be released in 2008, full stop. They are like the bastard love-child of The Stone Roses and funk-era Red Hot Chili Peppers, after a threesome with The Ramones. I'll be playing this album for a long time. BUY IT!!!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Been to see these guys a couple of times now and they're energy and interaction with the crowd (all but the drummer jumps in there) make them an exciting new prospect and this album doesn't disappoint.
The catchy rock rhythms and chili-esque vocals won't be to everybody's taste (particularly the current wave of music purists who are desperate to brag about the more obscure random bands out there and dismiss anything slightly mainstream and popular) but I deny anybody to not want to jump around to "In One Ear" or "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked".
It's quite raw but for a debut album, I'd expect nothing less! More good things to come from these guys
The catchy rock rhythms and chili-esque vocals won't be to everybody's taste (particularly the current wave of music purists who are desperate to brag about the more obscure random bands out there and dismiss anything slightly mainstream and popular) but I deny anybody to not want to jump around to "In One Ear" or "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked".
It's quite raw but for a debut album, I'd expect nothing less! More good things to come from these guys
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
love this album!
their first album is the best, but stay clear of the second one, i don't know what they were thinking!
Published 3 months ago by Gemma Louise Ivemy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Album.
I don't like to buy albums as i tend to find that i only enjoy a few songs but not in this case. This is an amazing album and i can't stop listening to it.
Published 6 months ago by William Sime
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now one of my favourite albums...
I first heard of Cage The Elephant after playing Borderlands on the PS3 (where Ain't No Rest For The Wicked is the song played during the game intro), after previewing the tracks... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2010 by readiejr
4.0 out of 5 stars
In One Ear....and there it stays.
I first heard of Cage The Elephant when I saw them perform at the Sound City festival in Liverpool in May 2008. Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2009 by Flickering Ember
5.0 out of 5 stars
Released from the cage
Make no mistakes about Cage The Elephant. They aren't your typical American Rock band, with their unique style and delivery they feel more like a love child to the Arctic Monkeys... Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2008 by M. Speller
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best album of 2008
Lately I have got bored with indie music, because I find the new bands either bland or awful, so Cage The Elephant are a breath of fresh air in a stale scene. Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2008 by Sawney Beane
5.0 out of 5 stars
Something Aces
This album exceeded all my expectations, I thinks its brilliant and I love the raw edge to it. One I will playing over and over!
Published on 16 July 2008 by Super Cereal
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