It’s the sad story of a missing girl, but the sadness is hidden by the song’s funky backing-track and high falsetto chorus. “Sweetie Little Jean”: This is the song that made me think I was listening to the Arctic Monkeys. With his vocal prowess in this song, any listener is sure to believe almost anything Shultz says. It is also introspective, proclaiming that “you need love” to go on in life. It has just enough percussion in the background to compliment the soft-delivery of half of the lyrics. This track is beautiful, both lyrically and sonically. “How Are You True”: “Heyyyyyy, how are you true?” Matthew Shultz practically whispers on this slow track. Even if you don’t know the lyrics, you’ll definitely be humming along to this track once you hear the melody. It has the muffled vocals and heavy guitar riffs that Cage the Elephant is known for, and it’s down-right singable. “Too Late to Say Goodbye” is perhaps the best track on the whole album. I’m almost sure this track did just that. “Too Late to Say Goodbye”: This was the third single the band put out, and it was their last chance to advertise their album before its release. While her eyes are other-worldly blue, it’s still a change that could hint at a new direction for the band, and I’m all for it. Gone are the abstract paintings and images and instead we see a girl coming out of the water. In what may have been in homage to this newfound vulnerability, the album cover is perhaps the most subdued of Cage the Elephant’s four releases. The lyrics are true to life, and each song is better than the last as the album progresses. The band sounds vulnerable on this album, which creates a sort of bond between the listener and the songs. “Tell Me I’m Pretty” is the first Cage the Elephant album that I listened to all the way through, and I think it’s perfect for beginners. There is a song for everyone on the album, which couldn’t necessarily be said of “Melophobia.” Because of its relaxed feel, the album is much more accessible to listeners both old and new. But this new sound works well for the band. Perhaps this contrast explains my initial disbelief that “Tell Me I’m Pretty” was produced by Cage the Elephant. While “Melophobia” was described as a “‘mish-mash’ of sounds” (Alternative Press), “Tell Me I’m Pretty” is laid-back, almost lazy in comparison. Just two years before this new release, Cage the Elephant released a very different album called “Melophobia” that, while critically acclaimed, did not chart well compared to their earlier efforts. It is relatively short, coming in at about 38 minutes, but the songs are strong throughout. I don’t like to call copycat (which has already been done by fans of The Black Keys), but the comparison between Shultz and Turner is uncanny.Įven so, “Tell Me I’m Pretty” is a solid fourth album from the band. That’s how closely lead singer Matthew Shultz’s drawl resembles Alex Turner’s (the lead singer of Arctic Monkeys) signature voice. About three songs into Cage the Elephant’s newest release “Tell Me I’m Pretty,” I had to double check that I was playing the album on Spotify and not the artist’s radio station.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |