Alt rock band Cage the Elephant have been one of my favorite acts for well over 10 years, and I’ve loved most of their music. Founded in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2006, the band relocated to London, England in early 2008, then moved to Nashville in 2009, where they remain today. Their current lineup consists of founding members Matt Shultz (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), his brother Brad Shultz (rhythm guitar, keyboards), Daniel Tichenor ( bass, backing vocals) and Jared Champion (drums, percussion), as well as Nick Bockrath (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and Matthan Minster (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), both of whom joined the band in 2017. Since 2008 they’ve released six critically acclaimed albums, two of which – Tell Me I’m Pretty in 2017 and Social Cues in 2020 – won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album.
“Metaverse”, the third single from their latest album Neon Pill, ascends to #1 on this week’s chart. It’s their second single from that album to reach #1, after last year’s title track “Neon Pill”, and their eighth song to reach #1 on my chart. The song seems to be about the struggles of being in a band and striving for perfection but sometimes failing to achieve it: “It’s a natural progression. No need for affection. Just a perfect deflection when you got no perspective. Every day spent far from my family. Double check, checked out, I’m half asleep. What the hell? Oh, well, that’s life. What the hell? I keep running and running.“
There are lots of really lovely songs out now, and one of the best is the poignant “Time Waited” by My Morning Jacket, which moves up two spots to #2. The song is from their latest album is, released on March 25th. Two songs enter the top 10, the first of which is “Bad Larry”, by northwest Indiana stoner emo band Cloakroom. From their latest album Last Leg of the Human Table, the song has a bit of a Lord Huron sound, courtesy of achingly beautiful twangy guitars and the velvety-smooth vocals of lead singer Doyle Martin. The second is the gorgeous “Mortal Wound” by British indie rock band The Veils, from their seventh and latest album Asphodels. And speaking of Lord Huron, the L.A.-based indie folk rock band’s latest single “Nothing I Need” is the lone debut song this week. Fronted by singer-songwriter Ben Schneider, they’ve become one of my favorite bands since the release of their magnificent 2021 album Long Lost.
- METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (2)
- TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (4)
- TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (1)
- RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (3)
- THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (6)
- IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (5)
- WALLS – Frank Joshua (8)
- STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (7)
- BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (12)
- MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (13)
- THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (14)
- IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (15)
- LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (11)
- LAREDO – Leon Bridges (20)
- SNAKESKIN – NAVE (17)
- POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (18)
- ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (19)
- PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (9)
- SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (10)
- ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (22)
- BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (23)
- BASIC BEING BASIC – Djo (25)
- PORCELAIN (LOSING ALL MY PATIENCE) – Somebody’s Child (26)
- WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (16)
- LET THINGS GO – Caamp (27)
- THREE SIX FIVE – Shinedown (28)
- EVERYTHING IS PEACEFUL LOVE – Bon Iver (29)
- SO LONG – Wavves (30)
- SO COLD – Balu Brigada (21) 19th week on chart
- NOTHING I NEED – Lord Huron (N)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 