米ケンタッキー州出身のロック・バンド=Cage The Elephant(ケイジ・ジ・エレファント)5年ぶりとなる待望のニュー・アルバム『Neon Pill』

ケイジ・ジ・エレファントの待望のニュー・アルバム『Neon Pill』は、2019年のグラミー賞で最優秀ロック・アルバムを受賞した『Social Cues』以来の作品となる。
彼らは2005年に米ケンタッキー州出身のマット・シュルツ(vocal)とブラッド・シュルツ(rhythm guitar)の兄弟、ダニエル・ティチェナー(bass)、ジャレッド・チャンピオン(drums)のメンバーで結成され、2019年からは正式メンバーとしてニック・ボックラス(lead guitar)、マッザン・ミンスター(keyboards)が加入した。アルバム・タイトルと同名のリード・トラック「Neon Pill」は彼らの特徴的なローファイなサウンド、タイトなドラムにリヴァーブのかかったギターが散りばめられた、2024年のインディー・ロックを代表するトラックとなっている。セカンド・シングル「Out Loud」は彼らには珍しくピアノをメインとしたバラード、『Melophobia』収録の「Cigarette Daydream」に次ぐ名バラード曲だ。

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2024/03/15）

Cage the Elephants lead singer Matt Shultz entered a period of psychosis some time after the release of Social Cues, the 2019 album that won the Kentucky band its second Grammy for Best Rock Album. Shultzs dark night of the soul culminated in an arrest for felony firearm possession in January 2023, a rock bottom that allowed him to enter recovery, after which he reunited with the band to continue work on Neon Pill, an album he began writing before his breakdown. Neon Pill doesnt necessarily reflect all this personal upheaval, at least on its shimmering surface. Working again with John Hill, the producer who helmed Social Cues, Cage the Elephant once again cannily synthesizes a variety of alt-rock eras, marrying a neo-garage rock bounce with washes of psychedelia, punctuating the proceedings with new wave flair and the occasional earnest ballad. Six albums deep, its a combination that feels familiar but Cage the Elephant delivers their alt-rock pastiche with panache, concentrating as much on feel as hooks. Its an approach thats worked for them since their 2007 debut and continues to work on Neon Pill since the shape-shifting sounds places an emphasis on the surface. This approach extends to Shultzs delivery. He molds his vocals to the fuzz-toned guitar and analog synths, a skill that helps realize the sound of the song even if it doesnt necessarily encourage lyrical exploration. All this means is that its easy to listen to Neon Pill without decoding the confusion that lies at the heart of the songs. The album may have been written during a dark night of the soul but it was recorded with precision and concentration, ultimately obscuring the pain at the point of origin. Its an approach that hardly does a disservice to either Shultz or Cage the Elephant: it gives Neon Pill an alluring, subdued pulse that soothes instead of stirs. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rovi