The introductory song on the 10-track album is called 'Cry Baby'. A very dynamic beat starts the track off, soon accompanied by the vocals 27 seconds in. The drums noticeably stand out as the symbols are also used a lot to express the aggression that the band have towards this 'Cry Baby'. The following track is called 'Mess Around' and strong guitar riffs introduce the song; shortly followed by the drums, then soon accompanied by the vocals. Due to the repetitiveness of the chorus it makes this track incredible catchy;
"No she don't mess around, no she don't mess around."
The insane guitars stand out the most within this track especially as they sharply close off the song. 'Sweetie Little Jean' enters with rhythmic drums which pause for the vocals to enter on;
"Sweetie little jean where did you go? Everyone's been searching high and low, and your mummy's worried sick.."
I think this song is about a mental illness as this woman is not herself therefore everybody is trying to sort her out and fix her but nothing is happening as it has taken over her as a person and she cannot revert back to her old self. 'Too Late To Say Goodbye' enters with a very melancholic tune which continues throughout, with the odd exception of a short climax, which soon reverts back to the original rhythm. 'Cold, Cold, Cold' has a very groovy and funky introduction which catches my attention straight away.
"Doctor - problems in my chest, my heart is cold as ice but is anybody scared?"
Again it has a catchy chorus which will get stuck in people's heads for days. The next track is called 'Trouble' and the introduction sounds very similar to the introduction of the well-known film 'Submarine (2010)' . This is due to the use of the keyboards being used more frequently within this track, compared to the other previous songs. The seventh track, 'How Are You True' has a very melancholic atmosphere to it due to the slow strumming on guitar within the introduction and then when the vocals enter they flow with the rhythm of the guitar too. This track also sounds very similar to some of Peace's work due to the slow flowing vocals, however half way through the pace begins to pick up a bit due to the drums creating a more intense beat. 'That's Right' enters with a fast drumming beat quickly accompanied by all of the other instruments and the vocals;
"Let your hair down, lets unwind. Take your problems, leave them behind. You got your troubles and I got mine."
I like the contrast between this song and the previous track as it shows you that they have cleverly structured the album as you have a song that brings you down ('How Are You True') and then this track brings you back up again, as it is all about relieving your stress and forgetting about all of your worries. The second to last track on this album is called 'Punchin'Bag' and the eerie introduction fools you into thinking that it may be a ballad, until you hear the first punchy line.
"She's a stone cold brave-faced killer, and a lover"
The final track to cease off the album is called 'Portuguese Knife Fight'. The first line grabs your immediate attention with;
"I wanna waste my life, with you, oh yeah, well the look in your eyes says you're feeling the same way too."
Admittedly, the final track is my favorite song off the album as a whole; due to how the intensity of feelings are portrayed within the vocals as they are very abrupt and upfront.
In conclusion, the album as a whole was good. There is not any songs that I particularly dislike; the majority of songs I just simply think are OK therefore I do not really have an opinion on them. On the other hand, there are a few tracks that did stand out to me and they are; 'Cry Baby', 'Sweetie Little Jean', 'Cold, Cold, Cold', 'That's Right' and of course the closing track of the album - 'Portuguese Knife Fight'. Admittedly, I have not listened to any of Cage The Elephants previous work, however I was fairly impressed with this album and that is why I would recommend that you give it a listen if you have not already.
8/10
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