Melophobia- Cage the Elephant

Cage the Elephant’s latest album, titled Melophobia, is an album of truth; it pushes boundaries with an enveloping theme of sincerity and unapologetic honesty. It elicits genuine emotion, and it challenges the limits of self-consciousness and conformity. The name of the album, Melophobia, is a word meaning “the fear of music”. In its oxymoronic simplicity, this title seems to coax listeners into reflective expansion of an otherwise basic definition. Instead of purely implicating “the fear of music”, it seems that Cage the Elephant is trying to convey the broader idea that modern music is an industry phobic of pure, raw, authentic music. Recently and consistently, musicians have begun producing songs and albums considered fitting of the modern music "status quo"- making the top ten has become more important than the musical translation of feelings and ideas. With money and status at stake, bringing emotions to life and revealing artistic depth have both become secondary to producing, packaging, and marketing the perfect tune that will entertain anyone and reach no one. 

        Armed with Melophobia, Cage the Elephant hopes to remain heartfelt and candid, ignoring the risks of vulnerability for the sake of authentic art. In essence, they present unfiltered songs with messages that they genuinely wished to communicate, and they create an overarching theme of rejecting the conventional to unearth the grit of artists and their unique artistic offerings. In this way, the album celebrates individuality and originality and condemns the staleness of mainstream music culture.  It appreciates honesty no matter how risky, painful, or embarrassing the message, and it considers this honesty more valuable than avoiding, changing, or omitting the truth, or worse yet- creating music simply to sell it. The importance of art, according to the message conveyed by Melophobia, is that its value is not in the product, but rather in the product's process and intention. If art is made with the purpose of honest expression, it can then truly be considered a work of art. Otherwise, it is a façade, and it caters to the chronic “melophobia” of the modern, mainstream music industry.

Closely linked to this theme of Melophobia is the concept of postmodernism. Postmodernism is essentially the rejection of infectious conformity and wide-scale mob mentality. It encourages individuality and rejects compliance with societal norms, glorifying independence and ingenuity instead. When considering Melophobia, it seems to be something of a postmodernist musical masterpiece. It is genuine and individual and revels in its own uniqueness. The problem, however, is in the delicate balance that Melophobia manages to maintain between true postmodernism and contrived postmodernism. When postmodernism exists purely to contest modernism, it ironically becomes modernism. The perfect example of this phenomenon is the recent “hipster” trend. This trend has made it “cool” and “mainstream” to oppose and challenge the expectations of culture and society as a whole. It has created a paradox of postmodernism and modernism that confuses the true implications and purpose of the postmodernist movement. Cage the Elephant is almost in danger of becoming part of this paradox by creating an album like Melophobia- an album eagerly charged by its anti-conformist theme. If used with the wrong intent, this type of theme could strangle authenticity, and the honesty that is so valued and coveted could be lost in the very process of obtaining and preserving it. When listening to Melophobia however, it's obvious that Cage the Elephant is able to maintain their purity and openness while avoiding the downfall of artificial honesty. When examining songs from the album more closely, such as “Come a Little Closer”, “It’s Just Forever”, “Halo”, and “Cigarette Daydreams”, the boundary-testing messages seem to reassure that Melophobia remains in the realm of postmodernism, escaping the enticing yet dangerous contradiction of modernist postmodernism.

            The song “Come a Little Closer” is the second listed on Melophobia, an almost upbeat song with a melancholy twist and psychedelic tones. It ties in with postmodernism in its lyrical message. The song investigates the intricacies of life; it encourages a deeper look at the ordinary and unassuming. Inviting the listener to “come a little closer” because “things aren’t always what they seem to be”, it reveals that life can contain hidden meaning and can become truly enlightening when one takes the time to look “a little closer”. This idea directly correlates with the theory of postmodernism itself. Since postmodernism is founded in the extraordinary and the unexpected, taking a closer look at things in hopes of enlightenment is a postmodernist idea. Modernism encourages surface examination and seeing things as they immediately appear to be, ignoring depth and any possible profundity- a direct contradiction of the message in “Come a Little Closer”. Also, by approaching this topic in the very first song on the album, Cage the Elephant dives right into a postmodernist perception of Melophobia, introducing an investigative tone that invites listeners to adjust to the idea of postmodernism and distinguish the genuine nature of the music.

           A second song worth discussing from Melophobia is “It’s Just Forever”. This song is grating and unnerving, with a fast pace, retro guitar, and screeching tones and noises. This song is unsettlingly honest in that it touches on the subject of obsession. It reveals the dark and twisted nature of love when it transforms from passion to mania. Stating things such as “gonna make you mine forever” and “never stop until you love me”, this song is a warped version of a love song, addressing the subject of perverse romance. It connects to postmodernism through it’s unconventional approach to love; instead of describing the typical euphoria of love that is portrayed in countless songs, movies, and pieces of art and literature, this song delves into the shady side of love that often is ignored. Choosing to investigate an unconventional idea is postmodernist in its resistance of normal expectations. By rejecting the usual construct of romance and taking the subject into nearly uncharted territory, “It’s Just Forever” pushes boundaries and combats modernism. It pioneers its way into a distorted notion and confronts the widely expected and commonly addressed idea of love, defying it in its modernist state.

            The song “Halo” is also significant in its raw message. “Halo” seems to touch on the addictive nature of relationships and the deception and manipulation that can arise from being taken advantage of in a romantic situation. The song develops the ups and downs of relationships by talking about how the good memories and fond feelings override the ability to avoid manipulation. The song states “you knew I/couldn’t help myself” to convey the message that although the subject has “lost [his] halo” and the relationship has become detrimental, he cant escape it because he is too invested in it and “all the good times [they] had”. It is an honest confession of being willingly deceived and controlled by love, and how the exceptionally strong hold romance can have over decision-making affects a person’s ability to do what is right. The song is postmodernist in its blatant honesty, contesting the commonly romanticized version of romantic deception by exposing it for what it truly is. Relationships become less black-and-white, like they are viewed from a modernist standpoint, and the complexity and messiness are revealed as the reality of romance. The postmodernism of the song effectively transforms the general concept of romantic love.

          

            One last song from Melophobia is “Cigarette Daydreams”, a song that seems to be about relationships, dealing with the unknown, and holds general nostalgia with a touch of sadness. The band sings about driving “all night/looking for the answers in the pouring rain”, introducing a wistful, contemplative mood that enhances the song as a reflective piece. There is mention of an unnamed person who was “only 17”, and a broken relationship is implied, as the listeners learns that he or she nearly brought the singer “to his knees”. The postmodernism of this song occurs in its unmasked confusion and melancholy. The subject of the song is clearly a painful and sensitive one, but Cage the Elephant is honest about everything from the positives to the negatives of the situation, admitting confusion and weakness where many artists would not have. Perhaps the most common symptom of a modernist love or heartbreak song is the lack of personal admittance of guilt; most songs either glorify relationships and ignore their problems, blame the other person for the relationship going wrong, or simply wallow in the sadness of a breakup. For “Cigarette Daydreams” to address all aspects of a relationship, while adding in some existential ponderings as a result of this, means that this song stays true to its postmodernist intentions and fits perfectly within Melophobia.

            

            Overall, Melophobia succeeds in being an honest album and staying true to the intentions of postmodernism. It avoids being forced or unnatural in its postmodernist implications, and resultantly does not loop back into modernism and contradict itself. It is a blunt, exposed music album that extends beyond mainstream boundaries, touches on subjects uncommonly touched on, and it questions the most basic ideologies of modern society and culture. The album’s success lies in its dedication to it theme; Melophobia refuses to conform.