Cage the Elephant have quickly established themselves as one of modern rock’s flagship acts. The Bowling Green, Kentucky-based sextet has curated a durable collection of hit songs since it burst into mainstream radio in the late 2000s. Since then, the band has won a Grammy award, achieved a platinum album (their 2008 self-titled debut), released numerous #1 singles, and toured with the likes of Muse, the Black Keys, and Foals.
If you are just discovering this great band, you may be lost on where to start, as its discography has seen many stylistic changes ranging from bluesy garage rock to indie/alternative. To help with the process, here is a quick guide to ten of the band’s essential tracks.
A more aggressive, straightforward track compared to later Cage the Elephant material, “In One Ear” is a preemptive middle finger to the band’s early critics. Lead vocalist Matt Shultz slams claims of his band being “another generation X who somehow slipped up from the cracks,” dismissing and, at times, yelling very loudly at such observations. The song is modern punk/garage gold.
“Shake Me Down” is a unique entry in the Cage the Elephant catalogue, juxtaposing symphonic strings and heavily distorted guitars in a manner that is surprisingly effective. The song makes use of almost chaotic series of fluctuations — both in tempo and in mood, and as idiosyncratic as this arrangement may be, it finds a way of sticking with you long after the first listen.
Oozing with echoey melodrama and Jagger-esque vocals, “Cold, Cold, Cold,” could very well be Cage the Elephant’s “Paint it Black.” The raw, medical-themed track is easily a standout from 2015’s “Tell me I’m Pretty,” and it is perhaps the most obvious indicator of Dan Auerbach’s production, ringing with a mood reminiscent of early Black Keys material.
As the lead single from Cage the Elephant’s third album, “Melophobia,” “Come a Little Closer” found the band experimenting even more with psychedelia and unconventional rhythm arrangements (it would not be out of place as the aural backdrop to a kaleidoscope). The song’s hallmark moment is its highly emotional bridge, in which Shultz sings of time and rebirth, atop a segmented bassline, before launching into the final chorus.
“Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”
Cage the Elephant more or less owe their current success to the instant popularity of 2008’s “Ain’t no Rest for the Wicked,” its breakthrough single. The song put the band on the map, winning over the unititated with its blend of spiraling twang and southern-toasted slide guitar. Since its release, the song has become a staple of numerous movie and video game soundtracks, and it continues to be a mainstay of active rock and alternative radio; it is the first bona fide classic from the band’s evergrowing library.
