Cage the Elephant
Tell Me I’m Pretty/RCA
Continuing the exodus from the brash alternative rock that typified Cage the Elephant’s first few releases, Tell Me I’m Pretty continues the artistic evolution that started on its last release, Melophobia. Classic rock fills every nook and cranny of this record from the thrumming bass and massive drums on the opener, “Cry Baby,” which is cut straight from ’70s AM rock radio, to the Beatles-esque “Too Late to Say Goodbye.” “Trouble” is the album’s biggest highlight, displaying prominently Matthew Shultz’s growth as both a singer and songwriter in a melodic turn amid equally memorable lyrics such as, “Spoke a lot of words / But I don’t know if I spoke the truth.” Add in a riff on the chorus that sounds like The Phantom of the Opera theme, and you have one hell of a song. Cage keeps changing the script on its fans in daring ways, and Tell Me I’m Pretty is no exception.
Arielle LaGuette
Arielle LaGuette/self-released
If you’re looking to start 2016 on an easygoing note, Austin, Texas-based Arielle LaGuette’s debut EP is the way to go. A solid collection that glides from ’60s-era dreamy folk one minute to ukulele surf-rock the next, these four tracks make you feel good, even if the songs themselves aren’t always happy. “Caution by the Seaside” is a wise tale told in hindsight that will have you nodding along to the languid pop rhythm as well as the song’s content, and “Loose Ends” has a bouncy, pop sensibility that perfectly matches the whirlwind effect LaGuette’s alternately charming and maddening lover has on her. “Easing Your Heart” is the audio equivalent of a morphine feed as LaGuette’s full, deep voice dulls the pain of breaking up by pairing steady, hopeful ukulele with the lyrics, “Life can’t be happy / Without being sad.”
GIVERS
New Kingdom/Glassnote
If there is one song on GIVERS’ sophomore release that encapsulates what you can expect from New Kingdom, it’s the penultimate track, “Layback.” The six-minute epic combines everything from synth-pop to world-beat rhythms, and includes heavy doses of distorted guitars and wobbly atmospherics for good measure, augmenting Tiffany Lamson’s and Taylor Guarisco’s swirling vocals, rather than drowning them out. This is a dance party through and through, but it’s never the same thing twice so it doesn’t get tiresome. Whether it’s the chilled-out downtempo pop of “Lightning” or the positively kinetic “Record High, Record Low,” there is an indelible sense of melody winding its way through this magical record.