Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – In This Home On Ice

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
S/T

When a relatively unknown indie band gets a blog buzz on, it’s a difficult thing to suppress. I thought I was up on the cutting edge by finding this band, but I’ve since seen them featured in any number of music publications and even dropped by word of mouth by someone whose idea of “super indie” is the Arcade Fire. Last to the party, as usual.

This is delicious and pernicious indie pop that grabs a hold of the reins of your brain lobes and rides you down a somewhat 80s dayglow tinged road. “In This Home On Ice” will find you galloping along helplessly with the song’s shimmering guitars. There is little debate as to whether lead singer Alec Ounsworth sounds just a tad bit like David Byrne, but on this track he comes across more Elephant 6 – like, maybe Neutral Milk Hotel. He also sounds a bit like the Decemberists as well, but the music is less choppy waters and more tidal wave-like.

The other members of the band are Lee Sargent, Robbie Guertin, Tyler Sargent, and Sean Greenhalgh. On “Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood” they provide a great groove on top of which Alec’s voice indeed reaches the wiggy hysteria of David Byrne in full flight. I could go on about other vocal similarities – try Jonathan Richman and Mike Kinsella (Joan of Arc) – but that’ll be apparent from your first listen.

“Over and Over Again (Lost & Found)” has a keyboard riff that is built to spill nicely all over Alec’s near mumbling of pithy vocals gems like “Success is so forbidding / But it makes me think I’m winning / Quiet / Dim the lights / Adopt another lifestyle”. I hate to sum it up so obviously but you can easily say: if you like Talking Heads you’ll like this band… if not, well you may want to try elsewhere.

Sample tracks from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
In This Home On Ice – S/T
Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood – S/T
Over and Over Again (Lost & Found) – S/T

by Bryan