Cage the Elephant

iTunes Review

Sometimes sounding like an American Arctic Monkeys (by way of Kentucky) or a more heartland-rooted Beck, Cage the Elephant make soulful, sweaty and unrestrained music, inspired by everything from Iggy and the Stooges to American blues. Brothers Matt (vocals) and Brad (guitar) Schultz lead the quintet of Southern rockers down the same path as Kings of Leon, crossing into alt-rock territory that fills large venues and thrills with incendiary live shows. Tracks like “James Brown,” “Drones In the Valley,” and “Tiny Little Robots” run on the same garage fumes that fuel the Hives and International Noise Conspiracy, while  “Back Stabbin’ Betty” sounds like an X-rated outtake from the Stones’ Exile on Main Street. “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” is all slide guitars and testosterone-driven storytelling, while the swaggering and strutting “In One Ear” and “Back Against the Wall” should be radio staples. These hard-partying Southern rockers seem to have greased guitars and grinding rhythms in their blood, and their debut impresses by any measure.