Thank You, Happy Birthday
by Cage the Elephant
  • Record Label: Red Ink
  • Release Date: Jan 11, 2011
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. Q Magazine
    May 2, 2011
    80
    Matt Shultz makes a natural showman firmly in the mouth Perry Farrell mould. Front of house taken care of, it's then just a matter of pairing the noise and excitement, something they achieve in short, sharp bursts with room to spare. [Apr 2011, p.98]
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  2. Kerrang!
    Mar 29, 2011
    80
    Taking cues from the Pixies and '90s grunge--Sell Yourself or Japanese Buffalo could be Pixies mainman Black Francis in a rage--but rowdier and caustic, they are compelling. [19 Mar 2011, p.51]
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  3. Uncut
    Mar 29, 2011
    80
    They've sorted through a kitbag of 80 songs and made good on the potential. [Apr 2011, p.77]
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  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 21, 2011
    70
    Basically, the album's a mess of melody, noise, stupidity, screaming and big choruses that does its bit for the all-important Campaign Against Intellectualism In Rock. Fun.
  6. Clash Music
    Mar 21, 2011
    70
    This, their second has already topped the charts over in the US. Why? Well, it's exuberant, bratty and crushingly relentless.er been so fun.
  7. Rock Sound
    Mar 21, 2011
    80
    Front-loaded with jagged riffs and the squalls of Matt Shultz, this is storming.
  8. musicOMH.com
    Mar 18, 2011
    70
    They don't offer much that's new, but this album is far too enjoyable to squabble over that.
  9. The Independent (UK)
    Mar 18, 2011
    80
    The Kentucky combo Cage the Elephant manage to find a new wrinkle on the face of US indie-punk, thanks to an enthusiasm for yoking catchy melodies to abrasive guitar riffs that recalls the Pixies.
  10. The Guardian
    Mar 17, 2011
    80
    Casting UK indie influences aside, the Kentucky five-piece has sought out the best in US punk and proto-grunge, layering exhilarating darkness and sinister sweetness, and some of the catchiest melodies you'll hear all year.
  11. BBC Music
    Mar 11, 2011
    70
    Throughout, CTE prove that they are an alternative act that's not scared of offending mainstream sensibilities. Time to break their locks.
  12. PopMatters
    Feb 25, 2011
    60
    As the hungover economy slowly gets out of bed and scratches itself, that's just what we need: one big melting pot of a party.
  13. No Ripcord
    Jan 26, 2011
    60
    Is this record the cure to the ails that is the sophomore LP? Yes and no. Yes, it's new and fresh and spilling over with more of their unique brand of high-energy rock; no, as there's some missteps and growth is often traded out for immature jabs.
  14. Consequence
    Jan 14, 2011
    60
    Though some of these songs would work well on their own, as a full length, they lack fluidity, consistency, and an overall theme that usually binds songs together.
  15. Paste Magazine
    Jan 11, 2011
    75
    In truth, Thank You Happy Birthday is at its best when the band doesn't beat us over the head with its angst and instead focuses on simply making music that sounds good.
  16. Los Angeles Times
    Jan 11, 2011
    75
    They run like rabbits from the stultifying bottom end of grunge, instead honoring what was hot and sweet about '90s rock: the raucousness of its hooks and the accessibility of its noise.
  17. AllMusic
    Jan 11, 2011
    70
    While the grand and sometimes snotty lyrics might not be to all tastes, anyone who misses the days when rock radio loved Nirvana and Blur will find his retro rave-up easy to embrace.
  18. Alternative Press
    Jan 11, 2011
    80
    It's an alarmingly great album in most ways superior to their ballyhooed debut. [Feb 2011, p.86]
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  19. American Songwriter
    Jan 11, 2011
    60
    It all seems more diverse than it actually sounds, and true, the band borrows plenty, including some room to play around with the sound, but Thank You Happy Birthday transcends its genres, and would be better simply labeled as a solid second step.
  20. Rolling Stone
    Jan 11, 2011
    70
    Cage the Elephant treat their guitars like percussion instruments, filling the songs with all kinds of clanging, crashing and thudding, and augmenting the clamor with buzzing keyboards.
  21. The New York Times
    Jan 10, 2011
    80
    The new album is more abrasive, rowdier, more unstable and pushier in the right ways.
  22. Entertainment Weekly
    Jan 6, 2011
    75
    Charismatic lead shrieker Matt Shultz wears his slacker influences proudly.
  23. Spin
    Jan 6, 2011
    70
    Sounds terrible, yet these guys attack tracks like "Sell Yourself" with so much pent-up energy that Shultz ends up selling his crackpot ideas.

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Discussed Album of 2011
78
#78 Most Shared Album of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. jredekop
    Mar 12, 2011
    7
    The best way to describe this album is as 'sonic seizures.' The chaotic style that has become CTE's trademark fills this album. There is noThe best way to describe this album is as 'sonic seizures.' The chaotic style that has become CTE's trademark fills this album. There is no lack of personality. At times it can be a little hard to listen to, but more times than not, it's filled with energetic punk-blues.… Full Review »
  2. Exvagus
    Jan 14, 2011
    10
    Une albulm vraiment l'fun à écouté, le Cage The Elephant style à son meilleur. C'estUne albulm vraiment l'fun à écouté, le Cage The Elephant style à son meilleur. C'est exactement ce à quoi on veux s'attendre quand on écoute un nouveau disque. Le tout est divertissant et diversifié. C'est simplement excellent. Thank You Happy Birthday est la pour comblé tout coeur.… Full Review »
  3. JamesO2002
    May 8, 2023
    8
    An album that I do really like. There are some real earworms in this album and every track is a banger but jeez my ears are sore by the end ofAn album that I do really like. There are some real earworms in this album and every track is a banger but jeez my ears are sore by the end of the album. It has to be one of the most compressed albums that I have ever listened to… Full Review »
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