Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Clap Your Hands' second disc is a schizophrenic wonder -- random jingles here, haphazard jangles there, crackling vocals interlaced with happy-go-lucky harmonies, accordion-laden songs, songs fit for a carnival, songs for a death march. While charming melodies abound, they also get sporadically buried in fleeting echoes, capricious distortions and avant garde production that can be more distracting than innovative. Nonetheless, whether you're yearning for all-out indie pop, a somber piano piece or a deranged dance groove, you'll find it here.

Two years ago, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah went from unknown Brooklyn-Philly quintet to
indie-rock sensations with their debut album, an exuberantly arty thing that doubled as a
great summer pop record. Compared to that, Some Loud Thunder is a disappointment: Less
energetic and more all-over-the-place, it's ramshackle rock full of drones and jangles that
crest and hum, with Alec Ounsworth splashing his warbly David Byrne alto aroun... More >