Coming some three and a half years after their Grammy-winning yet lackluster Tell Me I’m Pretty, Cage have returned with a different take on their now recognizable sound. “Ready To Let Go” is more lo-fi than some of their earlier hits, but it’s powerful and energetic and great. Opening track “Broken Boy” is a forceful track that might stand as one of the band’s best. It almost ushers in a new era for Cage, away from the straight-up alternarock they’ve become famous for. They’ve almost taken on some of the eccentricities of Beck, who guests on “Night Running” and is touring with Cage this summer.

“Black Madonna” is a downbeat ballad similar to “Trouble,” but it’s way better. It has a better feel to it, lightweight and breezy. It seems that moving away from Dan Auerbach of Black Keys, who produced the last disc, has opened up the band’s horizons. As result, they’ve come out with a more sophisticated album than what they’ve done previously.

“Night Running” contains Beck rapping again, but it sounds fantastic and is one of the more unusual and cool tracks I’ve heard all year. This is definitely different than the Cage we’ve gotten used to, and it’s all for the better. Damn good stuff.

“Love’s The Only Way” is a ballad that doesn’t really go anywhere or do much for the record. There are a few tracks here worthy of B-side status. However, the “The War Is Over” doesn’t fall in that category. Organ-driven and fantastic, it definitely shows off a side of Cage that I really like.

The last couple tracks (except for “Goodbye,” which is a beautiful ballad) fall flat and take away a lot of the power and force of the album’s better tracks. But hey, things here are still better than Tell Me I’m Pretty, so that’s always a good thing.

Rating: B+

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