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‘Thank You Happy Birthday’ is the second album from ‘Cage The Elephant’ who, in the wake of ‘The White Stripes’ retirement and ‘The Kings of Leon’ promotion to stadium rock pin ups, are looking set to fill the resulting Kentucky-fried-indy-rock power vacuum.
The album opens in familiar fashion. ‘Always Something’ features creepy tremolo and lyrics about homicidal hitch-hikers. So far so Southern-Gothic. The song’s message seems to be ‘it’s annoying when those who should be grateful to you randomly turn on you’. A message the band instantly forget on ‘Indy Kidz’, a lazy attack on fashion conscious youth that doesn’t just bite the hand that feeds, but severs it from the arm that feeds, serves it up with a side salad and swallows it whole. It’s a moment reminiscent of Bart Simpson’s day dream of rock stardom- “Here’s me latest chart topper, it’s called ‘All Me Fans Are Stupid Pigs’”. Cue wild applause.
The irony is increased by the fact that the singles ‘Aberdeen’ and ‘Shake Me Down’, which precede and follow ‘Indy Kidz’ respectively, are both indie anthems. The two songs nicely showcase singer Matthew Schultz’s vocal range. The later has a grainy sundrenched melody, along the lines of The Vines during the calm between storms. The former is, by contrast, as agitated and jumpy as a night in with Frank Black, Isaac Brock, a pitcher of Taurine and the entire catalogue of ‘Saw’ films.
On the whole Schultz’s ability to switch from lulling drawl to finger-nails-on-a-chalkboard screaming gives most of the songs on the album a lot of their extra weight.
The band are best when at their heaviest. ‘Japanese Buffalo’ and ‘Sabertooth Tiger’ are both enjoyable, noisy, smash and grab efforts. ‘Sell Yourself’ is particularly good, the big hard rock chorus underlined by android voices whining “Sell yourself, don’t be a fool”, advice the nations legion of young unemployed will be used to hearing in Job Centre C.V. workshops up and down the country.
They can do tender as well. ‘Rubber Ball’ is an acoustic waltz that nicely brakes up the heavier tracks. Unfortunately it’s hard to shake the feeling that it was written under the working title “the acoustic waltz we’ll need to brake up the heavier tracks.” Either that or my cynicism has become boundless. Take your pick.
In all ‘Thank You Happy Birthday’ is certainly a step forward, if not what you’d call a mature release. If you didn’t like them before it’s unlikely this’ll win you over. If you already liked them, or have ever wondered what a more commercial, confederate Pixies would sound like ‘Thank You Happy Birthday’ has it wrapped up.
