Cage The Elephant

If Jack White ever started another band and learned to just chill the fuck out, his music would sound a hell of a lot like Kentucky’s Cage The Elephant. The comparison isn’t intended to pigeonhole the group, but the same kind of abrasively incredulous but carefree tone in frontman Matt Schultz’s voice is unmistakable: See the freewheeling, bluesy but hook-heavy “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked,” on the group’s self-titled debut. The track transitions from a disjointed slide guitar intro into a full-on booming story song about ne’er-do-wells. The rest of the LP—and Cage’s 2011 record, Thank You Happy Birthday—bubbles over with similar gritty charm, and unlike White, doesn’t extensively worship at the altar of the blues.

Updated 12/06/2011