Clap Your Hands Say Yeah "clean" version

After the year of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah hype that was 2005, the band's follow-up album has been met with an amazing amount of silence.

A few people have given it middle-of-the-road, three-star, B-minus reviews and a few people have slammed it. But mostly, for an album called "Some Loud Thunder," it's made barely a whimper.

Are you underwhelmed because it's not a major departure from their debut? What did you expect? This is STILL a new band. "Some Loud Thunder" does what a sophomore album should. It builds on the original with sharper music and lyrics and mines new territory without straying too far from home base.

Their self-produced, self-released, out-of-nowhere debut pushed the whole indie/DIY/blog business firmly into the mainstream. But it's clear from every interview that they weren't caught up in it. With Clap your Hands, you can come along for the ride but you don't get to backseat drive.

The band does address the hype on the opening, title track, as though getting it out of the way so they can get back to being Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. "All this talking, you'd think I'd have something to say," is singer Alec Ounsworth's opening line.

The song is filled with similar statements, but they're hard to notice because the track is intentionally mixed to sound like it's coming out of blown speakers. I can understand making a "don't try to change us" statement, especially right off, but there's a really great song underneath the fuzz.

I hunted down a "clean" version without all the distortion. Take a listen.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — Some Loud Thunder ("clean" version) (MP3)

Clap Your Hands Say MySpace

Baby, it's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Wait, don't hang up.

Baby, I've been thinking about you so much lately, how hot and heavy we were back in 2005. I still remember how we met on the Internet. You were looking for something new and I was trying to be all cool, playing hard-to-get. We agreed to meet in the record store, but the clerk said I wasn't there. I know it just made you want me even more. And when we did hook up, damn, the sparks flew. Some of your friends didn't like me; you're parents hated me. They said I didn't sound right for you; you didn't care. Nothing was going to change the way you felt. But something that burns so hot has to cool off. So I understood when you said you wanted to see other bands. But that was 2006, and it's over now.

I know you look at my Myspace page using your fake profile so I won't know you're still thinking about me, but you should go there now. I'm striving to be your '07 lover, to give you "Some Loud Thunder" where I know you're craving it. I'm restarting our love-hate relationship with a song that sounds like it's coming through a blown-out speaker. Don't worry baby, I'm not hurt, I'm just being me.

I know you're worried about getting burned. Will it be as good as the first time? Was it even that good the first time to begin with? Baby, I say it doesn't matter. You know you want to give it another try.

Your Loud Thunder lover,
CYHSY

"Some Loud Thunder" streaming on myspace
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — Love Song No. 7 (MP3)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — Underwater (You and Me) (MP3)