Thank you, Happy Birthday by Cage the Elephant

 It is such a great week to start off 2011 with all the new releases coming! My usual ritual on Monday is to check out some new tunes on  Spinner.  Thank You Happy Birthday by alternative rock band, Cage the Elephant, was one of the CDs available for free streaming. The Kentucky five-piece band had emerged in the indie music scene with a successful self-titled debut album in 2008, Cage The Elephant, including their hit, Ain't No Rest For The Wicked. They have become so popular all over the world, including the UK, Japan, and of course the North America.


If you are a big fan of melodic rock verses with such catchy rapping - which you’ll often find on that first album - then you would be very surprised with their new record: It is very different from the first album – this new release is grungier with lots of screaming. Some songs like '2024' and 'Shake Me Down" does still remind you their debut album – but most of songs would shatter your first impression of the band. So I would say it depends on each person whether or not he/she will favor this album. In fact, a number of CD reviews are giving mixed opinions. I like most of the songs, but found a few songs too extreme, such as 'Indy Kidz'.


I think it is such a good change for the band to expend their stylistic range more so than they had with their first album. If you didn't like the first album, give them another chance. It’s worth it - especially if you like 90s' rock bands like the Pixies. You can listen to the entire album for free at  Spinner.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Favorite song of the album: Always Something