Cage the Elephant: Thank You Happy Birthday

"Their self-titled debut ended up selling over 400,000, and last month, the band returned in full force with their second album, Thank You Happy Birthday which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. (The album's first single 'Shake Me Down' is #1 on Alt radio.) T.Y.H.B. marks a departure of sorts for the band, in that the tracks on this album are arguably more raw, louder, and in your face. In a Feb. 17 interview, frontman Matthew Shultz said the band prepared for their latest by listening regularly to tunes from the Pixies to '50s surf rock god Dick Dale. Those eclectic influences are heard all over their record. The somewhat new sound wasn't a conscious decision according to Shultz, although he admits the band didn't want to simply phone in the record and rehash 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked.' 'I think we're definitely hyper-paranoid of repeating ourselves,' Shultz said" (Jon Chattman, "Cage the Elephant Frontman Discusses 'Wicked' Change in Direction," Huffington Post, 2/18/11).
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