Greg Dona
01/23/06, 09:08 PM
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are good. Say what you might about whiny, skill deprived vocals, but these men can play. They are like Modest Mouse. And the Arcade Fire. And Neutral Milk Hotel. And Bloc Party. In all honesty, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are every indie band you’ve ever heard and then some. Did I mention that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are good?
The group starts out its debut self-titled album with the outrageously inappropriate “Clap Your Hands!” Neither the lyrics nor the music is offensive, but rather the courage with which the group begins its humble career. Nobody in their right mind would release their first track in such an, as a criminal understatement, odd track. It is intriguing, but all together too experimental for the beginning of a group. But then again, isn’t this what makes us love Clap Your Hands Say Yeah?
A fair portion of songs lull by with few mentionable occurrences. Rather than releasing a CD full of thrashing or uniquely intriguing singles, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have elected to put out a true collection of tracks with a gorgeous flow. The first, and only, truly eye-opening track is “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth.” A fuzzy background with movement inspiring drum lines provokes a relaxed sway from the most immobile of listeners. The rest of the album, much like its beginning stages, simply flows in the most impressive of ways. Much unlike the album you work to forget as it assaults your ears upon first listen, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah massages your ear drums into a beautiful musical oblivion that allows for an elementary lapse in concentration.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sounds like every indie disc you’ve ever bought. But then again, with its incredible collaboration of different indie styles, it sounds like nothing you’ve ever bought as well.
The group starts out its debut self-titled album with the outrageously inappropriate “Clap Your Hands!” Neither the lyrics nor the music is offensive, but rather the courage with which the group begins its humble career. Nobody in their right mind would release their first track in such an, as a criminal understatement, odd track. It is intriguing, but all together too experimental for the beginning of a group. But then again, isn’t this what makes us love Clap Your Hands Say Yeah?
A fair portion of songs lull by with few mentionable occurrences. Rather than releasing a CD full of thrashing or uniquely intriguing singles, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have elected to put out a true collection of tracks with a gorgeous flow. The first, and only, truly eye-opening track is “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth.” A fuzzy background with movement inspiring drum lines provokes a relaxed sway from the most immobile of listeners. The rest of the album, much like its beginning stages, simply flows in the most impressive of ways. Much unlike the album you work to forget as it assaults your ears upon first listen, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah massages your ear drums into a beautiful musical oblivion that allows for an elementary lapse in concentration.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sounds like every indie disc you’ve ever bought. But then again, with its incredible collaboration of different indie styles, it sounds like nothing you’ve ever bought as well.