Kentucky’s Cage The Elephant are one of those bands credited with grabbing modern rock by the collar and lifting it from the abyss. Alt-rock icons the Pixies may have informed the band’s early albums – tracks such as Aberdeen and Around My Head arepure Pixies appropriations – but in recent years they’ve distanced themselves from the ‘90s revival pack. On album number four, Tell Me I’m Pretty, CTE strive to reshape their sound with some vintage-inspired flair.
Produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Tell Me I’m Pretty sways between bursts of ’60s garage rock, slinky blues, twangy acoustic passages and spacey neo-psychedelia. Auerbach’s ear for pop steeped in the haze of decades gone by can be felt throughout – think classic Stones, The Kinks, The Easybeats et al. rehashed for the Spotify generation. The band’s rough edges are smoothed over and Matthew Shultz opts for a soulful croon in favour of his former manic yelp. Lead single Mess Around is radio-friendly retro rock of the Kasabian ilk, and it sets the tone for an album content with hitting the mark but not eclipsing it.
Occasionally Cage The Elephant get close to that elusive, goose bump-inspiring sweet spot, but they never quite make it. When you want them to cut loose or notch up the energy with a sneering solo, they reel it back into a safe three-and-a-half minute package peppered with lyrical clichés like, “My sweet love won’t you pull me through / Everywhere I look I catch a glimpse of you.” It’s frustrating, especially when you know they’re capable of doing better. Smoky album closer Portuguese Knife Fight is a standout, but overall Tell Me I’m Pretty lacks a real winner like Come a Little Closer or Take It or Leave It.
Despite some new ideas and influences creeping into the mix, everything feels very safe on Tell Me I’m Pretty. While previous album Melophobia had hips that swung loose, this one just feels a bit uptight.
BY JACK PILVEN
