Cage The Elephant are from Bolling Green, KY. So what? Well, for a start, their single "In One Ear" in a certifiable indie smash hit. They remind me of The Hiss before they got caught up in the record business and thought they were the shit. The lyrics are great and "In One Ear" is just a really catchy indie rock song.
If you ask Music Man, he'll tell you a great story about them. He first heard of the band back in 2006. Flew off to see them. Was amazed. Called his boss. Got the band to NYC for a showcase and then for one reason or another it didn't work out.
Fast forward 2 years and the band have followed the same path as The Hiss and (more notably) The Strokes and Kings Of Leon. They start building a buzz in the UK. Get signed over there. "In One Ear" gets added to the Radio 1 Playlist and bingo… all now the US labels (who've now had their homework done for them) get interested.
This week they played a showcase for every major label in the US in New York and now there's a bidding war. Hopefully the band blow up over here and Music Man gets another feather in the ol' cap.
But anyway – here's why you should give them a listen.
Their self-titled CD kicks off with the single 'In One Ear" and doesn't let up. The single is catchy and will soon have you singing "It goes in one ear and right out the other". "Aint' No Rest For The Wicked" reminds me of Kid Rock's "Cowboy". But that's okay. "Tiny Little Robots" starts off with a ferocious intro, as does "Free Love". "Back Stabbin Betty" is a bit psycahedlic, even though the chorus claims "You're a no good, lazy mother fucker. You've got a shit job you worthless mother fucker". "Drones in the Valley" draws on the current synch-rock sound. "Back Against The Wall" is another of my favourites on the CD. Starts off kind-of mellow, then builds.
As usual, you can listen to most songs on Cage The Elephant's Myspace page and the video for "In One Ear" is posted below. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Then, once they get signed, you too can tell the label "I told you so"
yes, they’re good, but it’s BOWLING GREEN…home of the corvette…and CTE