Avenue61 is a leading indie music site that specialises in album and gig reviews, breaking new bands, publicising events, and exclusive interviews with the leading cutting edge acts in the alternative music scene. Avenue61 covers a wide range of artists – some you would have heard of, some you won’t. Artists the site has reviewed recently include the Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Noisettes and Ladyhawke. The site is updated regularly so come back to catch up the latest news and reviews from the bleeding edge of the alternative music scene.

Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Cage The Elephant

Remember these guys?  Formed 2005 in Kentucky, EMI took a fancy to the five-piece as they stormed the UK with their fresh alternative sound.

 

Ahead of their eagerly anticipated second album due for release in late 2010, we thought we’d better remind ourselves of why the follow up to their debut could just make or break them.

 

Aint No Rest For The Wicked is the first song that comes into everybody’s heads when you mention Cage The Elephant. Here in the UK, some people might think that’s enough to constitute a one hit wonder. But in the US Back Against The Wall reached number 1 in the alternative charts. What really made a name for the band were their energetic live shows which injected a little fun into the alternative scene.

 

I’m not gonna use words like funk and jazzy in this piece. To be honest its fairly obvious where the bands influences come from by listening to them and knowing they hail from the deep south. They are somewhat mainstream in their sound as it isn’t overtly challenging and ground-breaking. But this isn’t a criticism. They made good music with catchy riffs, coupled with an edgy Americana feel. Its all good.

 

Type in Cage the Elephant + interview into any generic search engine and you will be bombarded by a plurality of over-the-top, pretentious quotes involving the usual buzzwords ‘soul’ and ‘heart’. To some degree we have to forget about what bands say about their music. We know your music is soulful, we have EARS.

 

All in all, the second album is always a test of any band’s creativity and vision. I can’t help but feel as if the second album wont make the leap across the Atlantic and into the UK charts. I’ll be pleased if I’m proved wrong, but I think unless they totally reinvent themselves, the second album will just be ripped apart by critics who expected something massive.

 

So we had best look out for the next record. And make sure you get to a live performance because they really do have a knack for raising the roof. Although I’ve got a feeling that they are gonna need more than one strong single next time to really make it worthwhile.