Cage the Elephant tops their debut with Thank You, Happy Birthday

In 2009 the alternative rock band Cage the Elephant burst onto the scene with their critically acclaimed self titled debut album. Two years later they’re back with “Thank You, Happy Birthday,” the sophomore effort from the band and their first release since the self titled album. The album is a step in a different direction creatively and features the band showing off a variety of different styles opposed to sticking to one style like they did on “Cage the Elephant”.

The most interesting thing about “Thank You, Happy Birthday” and Cage the Elephant in general is their extremely original and energetic sound. Throughout their 2009 debut, Cage the Elephant used more of a chaotic, fast garage rock sound with a lot of rapping from lead singer Matt Schultz. There were also elements of funk, classic rock, and hip hop throughout the album that when put together made an original and fun sound that could appeal to everyone. While it was energetic and entertaining, it also at times sounded very similar to the bands they took major influence from like the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Rolling Stones. Overall it was a very solid debut and really put the band in the limelight after the success of the first single from the album “Aint No Rest for the Wicked”.

Despite the success of the first album, the band went in a different direction with “Thank You, Happy Birthday” and the result was at times a more matured better Cage the Elephant. The first single of the album, “Shake me Down”, is a shining example of that. Centered around verses based off a simple guitar riff that builds up to the chorus, “Shake me Down” is a solid first single that represents the album well. It doesn’t sound that different from their first album, but it sounds like a more focused mature band that has improved for the better.

For the most part, “Thank You, Happy Birthday” is a very solid album from start to finish, but its shining moment comes during a three song stretch that features the best soft ballad (“Rubber Ball”) and two of the best songs on the album, “Right Before My Eyes” and “Around my Head”. Both have pop heavy choruses, but “Right Before my Eyes” picks up where “Rubber Ball” leaves off with a much softer approach where “Around my Head” sounds much more similar to something on “Cage the Elephant”. The album closer “Flow” is a seven minute ballad with half of the song dedicated to the song and the other half a hidden track after a little bit of silence. The hidden track is an alternate version of “Right Before my Eyes,” which is an appropriate ending considering “Right Before My Eyes” is arguably the best song on the album.

Despite clear focus for many songs on the album, some songs steer clear of that style and prefer the chaotic and sometimes unusual sound that made them famous. While these songs have their quality moments, they aren’t as strong as other songs on the album. The song “Indy Kidz”, for example, shows lead singer Matt Schultz taking a shot at the normal claiming “…it’s so easy to just step aside, and walk in line like all the rest, but I never did well on tests.” To add to the theme the whole song sounds like it could take place in an asylum and is on the hinge of being out of control. Although an interesting song, compared to the quality of some of the songs on the album it gets lost on first listen.

“Cage the Elephant” was a solid debut album that made the music industry stops and see what this new band from Bowling Green, Kentucky had to offer. Their first single sparked national interest and got the band featured in video games and movies. With “Thank you, Happy Birthday” Cage the Elephant sounds like a more focused, determined band that will be making albums for a long time. But it’s going to be hard to top this one.

Kings of Leon go “Back Down South” with new album

“Come Around Sundown”, released on October 15^th, is the fifth studio album by the alternative rock band the Kings of Leon.  It is also the follow up to the mega hit album “Only by the Night”, which went platinum and was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year. “Only by the Night” got the band mainstream success, which was highlighted by playing at the Lollapalooza music festival in 2009 and the Bonarroo music festival in 2010.

After releasing three albums that weren’t extremely successful, the Kings of Leon changed their style a little bit. They cleaned up their look and their sound. In previous albums the band had more of a gritty southern rock sound, but on “Only by the Night” they had a much cleaner, mainstream sound with lead singer Caleb Followill singing more clearly and writing more complex lyrics. The results didn’t appear to be better than their previous albums, but the success of the first two singles put the album and the band on the map.

The band took full advantage of the success, performing everywhere from the Grammy awards to Saturday Night Live. But the album didn’t sit well with the diehard Kings of Leon fans who were concerned that the new success would lead to the band keeping the sound that made them famous. But in the aftermath of the album’s success, the band, especially lead singer and main writer Caleb Followill, expressed disappointment in the album and its success. He didn’t like the newfound fame and fans that only knew the band because of their mega hit “Use Somebody” and decided they had to go back to their roots on the next album. That certainly excited all Kings of Leon fans, and although it took longer than usual to make, “Come Around Sundown” did not disappoint.

As evident from the title and album cover, “Come Around Sundown” is an album that really shows the relaxed personality of the band. It’s clear that the band has found their sound as they are able to mix the southern rock sound of the past with the catchy hooks and choruses that made “Only by the Night” a success. Caleb’s voice got a little more personality back in it, but it’s nothing like it was on the band’s debut album “Youth and Young Manhood”.

The first single to the album, “Radioactive”, is a perfect example of the new found sound of the band. The intro and verses sound like something off their sophomore album “Aha Shake Heartbreak”, but the chorus has the same catchy arena sound “Use Somebody” was successful for. Although it is the first single, it’s not the strongest song on the album. The two songs that follow “Radioactive”, “Pyro” and “Mary”, are stronger songs that sound like they could have been on “Youth and Young Manhood” or “Aha Shake Heartbreak”.

“Pyro” is a soft song similar to “Knocked Up” off of 2007’s “Because of the Times” or “Milk” off of “Aha Shake Heartbreak”. The verses start soft and build into the chorus which coasts at a soft effective sound. The chorus also has a similar arena sound to “Radioactive” but with a slower and softer pace. The soft sound of the song matches the lyrics as it tells the sad story of a man about to burn everything around him.

“Pyro” is followed up by “Mary”, the Kings of Leon’s version of a 1950’s doo wop song. There’s harmony during the intro and Caleb kicks in during the verses with lyrics that sound like they were written in the ‘50s. But the band also puts their own spin on it with a very modern twist on the sound musically. The guitars have more grit than they would in the 1950’s, and the solo has a southern rock twist on it. The song is one of the more interesting on the album, and immediately brings the listener in because of the doo wop harmony in the intro.

The band also plays to their roots in the laid back country track “Back Down South”. This song will immediately make fans think of previous country guided songs like “Fans” and “Talihina Sky”. But “Back Down South” might be even better than the two tracks, with simple lyrics and more focus on the country sound with the normal Kings of Leon southern rock guitar blending together in the background instead of emerging midway through the track.

There are many other solid tracks on “Come Around Sundown” so when the entire album is listened to all the songs start to blend together and represent one solid sound for 47 minutes. None of the songs stick out in the second half of the album like “Radioactive” and “Mary”, but are still enjoyable as a whole. “Come Around Sundown” is a perfect follow up to “Only by the Night” because it tells the fans that they aren’t abandoning their old sound, but developing it with the popular sound to make a perfect combination. It’s not as good as “Aha Shake Heartbreak” or as southern as “Youth and Young Manhood”, but it’s not as mainstream and unusual as “Only by the Night” either. It’s the in between that should satisfy most, if not all Kings of Leon fans.

Weezer’s “Hurley” a breath of fresh air

Since returning from a three year hiatus with 2008’s “Weezer (The Red Album)”, the alternative rock band Weezer has released two albums in two years. The first was “Raditude,” which was released on November 3, 2009. The second is “Hurley,” which was just released on September 10, 2010. Both “The Red Album” and “Raditude” had a different sound than what fans of the band were used to.

“The Red Album” had a more experimental sound; every band member had a lead vocal on a song. “The Red Album” also had the song “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn),” which is considered one of the most unusual and interesting Weezer songs to date. The six minute track is split into thirteen themes including imitations of other bands including Green Day, Nirvana, and Slipknot. Front man Rivers Cuomo called the song “the most ambitious” song he’s ever written, and his favorite. Overall, “Weezer (The Red Album)” got mixed to positive reviews and was a pretty average album with a few very bright spots.

2009’s “Raditude” had a much different sound than “The Red Album”. The album had more of a mainstream pop sound than their previous album, and front man Rivers Cuomo was the only lead vocalist on the album. One of the bigger songs on the album, “Can’t Stop Partying,” featured rapper Lil Wayne. Although “Raditude” was a pretty good album in terms of Weezer’s mainstream pop sound, it didn’t really make an impact in their career.

With two somewhat unsuccessful albums the last two years, Weezer left their old record company Geffen Records. Instead of signing with a huge record company, they decided to sign with the independent label Epitaph. The band considered self releasing their next album, or releasing it online before deciding to sign with the independent label.

“Hurley” is different than Weezer’s previous few albums because the sound of the songs compare to Weezer’s first three albums. Most fans consider that time as the prime of the band’s career, with a more alternative rock sound than the pop sound they displayed in “Raditude”. In “Hurley”, Weezer is able to blend power pop style choruses with rock riffs and Weezer’s famous unusual musical timing.

A perfect example of the interesting sound in “Hurley” is the fifth song on the album “Where’s My Sex?” The song is sort of a joke song because the song is supposed to be “Where’s My Socks?” but with the word sex instead of socks. This is done because front man Rivers Cuomo’s daughter once mispronounced socks with sex. This results in some interesting and comical lyrics because it makes sense with the word sex in there, but it makes more sense with the word socks.

If that wasn’t enough, the song also goes through a few sudden changes in tempo in the last minute of the song similar to “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)” and “Dreamin’” off “Weezer (The Red Album) that really makes the song stick out. The tongue in cheek style of the lyrics and the complexity of the music gets “Where’s my Sex” compared to many songs off their cult classic album “Pinkerton”.

“Memories” is the first single and opening track of the album. Although it is a great song the album really sets off during the second song “Ruling Me”, which is the best song on the album. The verses are driven by a strong guitar riff and a good drum beat, but it’s the incredible chorus that really makes the song stands out. The song is a perfect baby of the guitar heaviness of “Weezer (The Green Album)” and the alternative pop sound of “Weezer (The Blue Album)”.

There are a lot of other great songs on “Hurley” including the musically and lyrically unique “Hang On”, which features a partial backing vocal from Michael Cera on the songs hook. The album closes with “Time Flies”, which is a folksy acoustic song that resembles Led Zeppelin’s numerous folk songs like “Going to California” or “Gallows Pole”, or The White Stripes classic “I’m Bound to Pack It Up”.

Overall “Hurley” is a breath of fresh air from Weezer that fans have been waiting for since “Pinkerton”. The songs have less of a pop feel compared to their previous few albums, but still come up with great alternative pop hooks and choruses that garner comparisons to their first two self-titled albums. This is easily their best effort at recreating the raw sound of “Pinkerton” since the 1996 album came out, and that’s a good sign for Weezer fans.

REVIEW: Raditude (Weezer)

On November 3, 2009 the Alternative Rock band Weezer released their seventh studio album “Raditude”. A follow up to their 2008 album “Weezer (The Red Album)”, “Raditude” follows Weezer’s usual style of Alternative Rock with some pop melodies thrown in. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo does all the lead vocals for “Raditude”, but he didn’t write every song on the album.

“Raditude” might be Weezer’s most complete album, as it has something for every Weezer fan. Whether you prefer more alternative Weezer songs (“My name is Jonas”, “Hash pipe”) or pop Weezer songs (“Buddy Holly”, “Keep Fishin”) this album has something for you. It’s their best album musically since their second album “Pinkerton” and the lyrics are more humble like in their debut album “Weezer (The Blue Album)” than the confident lyrics in their sixth album “Weezer (The Red Album)”. The issue with the album is it has only ten songs, but their biggest album was only 13 songs (“Maladroit”). The usual number for a Weezer album is ten so this album is like a standard Weezer album.

“Raditude” is full of solid songs, with really no weak songs. That’s not to say every track is a number one hit, but there’s more good than bad on this album.

1. “(If you’re wondering if I want you to) I Want You To”

- The first track on “Raditude” is also the first single for the album. It’s more of a pop song than alternative, but it’s really catchy. The lyrics are more shy which is more Weezer’s style.

2. “I’m your Daddy”

- The second track is also more of a pop song with hints of rock thrown in. The lyrics are the best part of the song, as they are very catchy and understandable. In this song he talks about meeting a girl at a bar and thinking he’s in love. It’s a different style of pop compared to “I want you to”, so having them back to back works really well.

3. “The Girl Got Hot”

-The third track starts out with a very recognizable riff and Rivers saying “Woah oh oh oh” over and over. When you hear that first part you can easily picture it being in a commercial. I say that because I did see it in a commercial promoting the new season of Scrubs. It then goes into lyrics describing Rivers seeing someone he used to know many years later and she got hot. Along with talking about how he doesn’t have a chance with her and how her friends didn’t get hot this song took a few listens to really like. I liked the beginning right away, but after a couple times I came to appreciate the song as whole and it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album.

4. “Can’t Stop Partying”

- The fourth track is definitely going to be the big hit of the album. It’s not my personal favorite song on the album, but it’s got the recipe to be a hit. It was originally an acoustic song on River’s second solo album “Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo”, but for the album they sped it up and added more dance like music. The biggest draw for the song is that Lil Wayne contributed a verse. I’m not a huge Lil Wayne fan, but I really like his contributions to “Cant Stop Partying”. It takes the song from good to great. And besides that Rivers has great lyrics about his love to party. Some Weezer fans will prefer the acoustic version on River’s solo album, which I think is very good as well.

5. “Put Me Back Together”

- Following one of the biggest songs on the album is tough. But to me, “Put Me Back Together” not only one ups “Cant Stop Partying”, but it’s also the best track on the album. It features a vulnerable Rivers singing about getting dumped. He’s clearly not over it, and says when he falls down she puts him back together. I really enjoy this song because it follows Weezer’s usual vulnerable lyrics and has a catchy hook which is the highlight of the song. It’s probably not my favorite Weezer song of all time, but it is definitely my favorite song on the album.

6. “Trippin’ down the Freeway”

- After “Put me Back Together” is “Trippin down the freeway” which features a similar formula to “I’m your Daddy”, with catchy lyrics and a fun chorus. It’s a good song, but it doesn’t stick out as much as the last two tracks. It also features a fun guitar solo.

7. “Love is the Answer”

- The seventh track on the album is clearly the most unusual. It features Indian drums and hindu style music that transitions into a very catchy and memorable chorus. The song also features a verse solely in Hindu. The chorus is enough to make this a solid track.

8. “Let it All Hang Out”

- The eighth track on the album is the hardest rocking song on the album by far. It’s got a lot of heavy guitar with a catchy chorus to go with it. The lyrics talk about a Friday evening where he is so tired from the week he’s just going to meet up with his friends and let it all hang out. The heavy guitar sets the tone where “In the Mall” picks up.

9. “In the Mall”

- The ninth track on the album is also the only song on the album not written by Rivers Cuomo. Drummer Patrick Wilson wrote this one, and although it’s a good song and the strongest musically on the album, it’s overall my least favorite song on the album. It has simple lyrics talking about roaming around in the mall with a very strong drum part and the best guitar solo on the album (discluding the bonus tracks on the deluxe version). This song is fun to listen to if you enjoy Weezer’s harder rocking songs (“Undone: The Sweater Song”, most of the album “Pinkerton”), but it doesn’t have a lasting appeal to me.

10. “I Don’t Want to Let you Go”

- The closer of the album is another song that originally appeared on River’s second solo album. It’s the softest song on the albumand follows  the two loudest songs on the album. It’s very simple and to the point and kind of relates back to “Put me Back Together” because it’s about not wanting to let the girl go after they broke up. Vocals are the main focus of the song, as there’s not much going on in the background. I think it’s a perfect way to close the album, because it’s very relaxing and kind of soothes into the end.

Overall “Raditude” is a great album especially for Weezer fans. I’ve listened through it many times and even though I’m a huge Weezer fan, I think non-Weezer fans could really enjoy this album if given a chance.

Rating:

8.5/10