With its self-titled debut album, the five-piece band Clap Your Hands! Say Yeah caught the attention of the entire indie-rock scene. Led by singer Alec Ounsworth, these five unknown and uninteresting-looking guys from Brooklyn and Philadelphia became god-like pillars of indie music. An enormous fanfare of Internet buzz surrounded the album. Quite a few people were talking, and talking fondly of this quirky summer album. As a result, Clap Your Hands! Say Yeah gained a mythical status among young music snobs with hipster haircuts.
However, a mythical status does not prevent a band from disappointing its fans. Quite the opposite, disappointment seems to hit harder when expectations are grand and music gods falter. There is no doubt that expectations set for a sophomore album were high, possibly too high for one band to meet. However, disappointment inevitably follows an attentive listening of Clap Your Hands! Say Yeah’s new album, “Some Loud Thunder.”
To be fair, there are moments of jangling, acoustic guitar-backed brilliance. “Emily Jean Stock,” for example, sounds like a lightly reflective pop tune from the ’60s, at least until the drums come in. An explosion of crash cymbals and an aggressive bass line herald a changing of the guard. CYHSY, it seems, are no longer satisfied with monotonous tones. Clap-happy tunes alone will no longer suffice; they want to be dynamic. That much is clear as a grinding and ominous electric guitar emerges, loudly presenting a new side of CYHSY.
Following “Emily Jean Stock” is an equally catchy “Mama, Won’t You Keep Them Castles In The Air And Burning.” Although as memorable as certain songs on CYHSY’s debut album, this song hints at a shift in musical style. While the debut album is packed full of jaunty lyrics, on “Some Loud Thunder,” Ounsworth sings “So now I’m out for political favors/ a salary that corresponds with labor/ big house and a morning paper,” words that mark the pressure of growing industry interest in the band. Has the unavoidable indie buzz and the approaches of record labels affected this simple, promising, humble little indie band? It’s hard to tell, but the signs are all there.
The stylistic shift really kicks in, though, with “Love Song No. 7.” The song starts with a somber piano playing like a slow clock as a sharp guitar occasionally rings distantly in the background. “So safe and sound/ so safe for now,” Ounsworth moans with a tinge of melancholy. What the hell – this from a band with “Clap Your Hands” in their name? Something’s gone weird here. In the debut album, somberness was nowhere to be found, let alone murky, regressive melodies. But, oh well. It’s here now.
The album is decent in and of itself. If it were their debut album, many would call it a success. But under the white-hot light of anticipation and previous critical praise, the blemishes of “Some Loud Thunder” lead to moments of recoil. Stylistically muddled and lacking much-needed moments of repose, “Some Loud Thunder” will exhaust listeners.
Although it seems like a well-intentioned attempt to escape from the constrictions of a singular, playful tone, inconsistency overshadows the high points of the album. Normally debut albums are sonically inconsistent but speckled with moments of promise; the sophomore effort is supposed to be more focused and refined. With Clap Your Hands! Say Yeah, the old rules are useless. But what can you expect from a truly indie band except surprises?
Call it a lesson: bands are people, too.
So, maybe scenesters will wait a little longer before crowning their musical kings. Maybe they will pause before making myths of men.
