Album Review: Cage The Elephant – Melophobia

Cage The Elephant have returned with their third studio album, and their first in three years, ‘Melophobia’. With it comes a Bluesy, Rock and Roll sound that is distinctively Cage The Elephant.

Album opener ‘Spiderhead’ has all the Cage The Elephant characteristics we’ve all come to expect from them; heavily distorted vocals and anthemic, building choruses a-plenty. But in fact, most tracks on ‘Melophobia’ do too.

The definition of melophobia is an aversion to music and although ‘Melophobia’ is packed full of Indie-Rock-with-a-hint-of-Country, it does seem a bit one dimensional, almost as if Cage The Elephant were fearful to push themselves as far as they could have. Maybe we were expecting too much from the bands’ third release, but the general sound of the album forces it to blend into one all too comfortably.

A killer espionage-esque riff on ‘It’s Just Forever’ does break up the album’s repetitive sound but it’s still smothered in distortion and wailing vocals from both frontman Matt Shultz and guest vocalist Alison Mosshart. Album closer ‘Cigarette Day Dreams’ is an acoustic affair that is, in its style, refreshingly different. It’s just a pity it was left until last.

It’s easy to say that ‘Melophobia’ is repetitive and samey, and although it is, the band execute their sound well and each track, in its own right, is explosive and brilliant. ‘Melophobia’ as a whole sounds like Cage The Elephant and it sounds like a third album: much more self-aware and self-assured, as if they have truly found and understood themselves.

By Bryony Curtis