If you are introduced to a new band by reading a Coachella review that compares the singer’s stage presence to a “demented Bible Belt teacher,” there are two possibilities regarding said band’s off-stage, in-studio talent. A) They suck, but are ballsy and young and not afraid to do whatever it is that a demented Sunday school teacher would do if he were playing onstage at a rock fest in the desert, or They’re really damn good. Fortunately, this band survives the hype: Cage The Elephant deliver a solid, energetic, ambitious yet deliberate rock album in their self-titled debut, out this past April on Jive. The Southern Rock revival is entering adolescence; the novelty of boys from the country slinging sprawling country-fried rock songs about everything from horses to having babies is wearing thin. But the Bowling Green, KY natives’ first effort is a refreshing reminder that when you combine all these elements: blues-influenced rock, grounded in folk but torn apart and put back together with a punk-rock aesthetic, magic can still happen. If you are a person that dreams of turning a ramshackle barn into a kick-ass party loft; if you’ve dreamt of a lovechild born of Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Pixies with Uncle Tupelo serving as midwife, your fantasy is “Caged” on this record. - Becca Nelson