Wednesday, February 09, 2011 By Randi Robins [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising No thank you, Cage the Elephant (Feb. 9, 2011) -- In 2001, The White Stripes created the first ripple in the bringing of gritty garage rock blues to the masses. In 2009, Cage the Elephant rode that wave and rose the tide of the alternative rock scene as a quartet from Kentucky with a worthy self-titled debut featuring guitars reminiscent of the White Stripes, served up with a punk attitude. They did so with stand-out lyrical melody — yielding them in return, with commercial success and two #1 singles on U.S. Alternative Rock charts in 2009 and 2010 with “Ain’t No Rest for The Wicked” and “In One Ear.” On Jan. 11, Cage the Elephant released their second album, Thank You, Happy Birthday, with a lot less delivery under much higher expectations. Thank You, Happy Birthday is comprised of less guitar work, even less innovation, and a lot more noise.  Lead vocalist Matt Schultz’ scratchy vocals with down-and-dirty lyrics no longer ring like virtuous anthems wrote with intent to lift a whole arena to its feet. Shultz’ writing on Thank You, Happy Birthday is milder and darker — similar in societal scrutiny but failing to give the same impact as before between glossed over boy-bandish “oohs.” Some call it a reinvention of sound, but when it comes down to growth Cage the Elephant just went back to the ‘80s and ripped off the Pixies, the product of which is unfocused songs that borrow lo-fi-sounding bass lines and chord progressions which stray from the band’s original one-two-punch rowdiness. Aside from sounding like poppy post-punk with random harmonies and stretched out vocals, some of the band’s explorations show forward thinking in the right direction. The satirical track, “Indy Kidz,” builds a wall of sound over a James Bond-esque bass breakdown, while “Shake Me Down” provides a drum-driven sequence and “Sell Yourself” expands their original sound. Although a lot less apparent than their debut, there is some influence from Beck that can still be heard, especially in “Always Something.” The album does hit a few high peaks but in the end doesn’t quite pick up where they left off. It’s safe to say that Thank You, Happy Birthday is a sophomore slump, especially coming from one of the most accessible bands to follow the left over blues-rock waves from the early ‘00s.

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