Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
70
AFI
65
Air
71
Alice In Chains
77
Amerie
70
Anjulie
85
The Antlers
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound
75
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
56
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
72
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan
72
Brendan Benson
72
The Big Pink
96
Big Star
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
51
Black Mold
59
Amanda Blank
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
77
A.A. Bondy
73
The Bottle Rockets
63
Box Elders
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
87
Brother Ali
70
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
78
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
79
Califone
68
Mariah Carey
84
Brandi Carlile
73
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash
69
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
84
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System
68
The Clean
84
The Clientele
71
Cobra Starship
85
Converge
71
Eric Copeland
80
Cymbals Eat Guitars
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
64
Desolation Wilderness
88
Destroyer
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
74
The Duke & The King
66
Bob Dylan
44
The Entrance Band
67
Esser
69
Fanfarlo
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
78
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
59
Frankmusik
77
Fruit Bats
83
Fuck Buttons
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
59
Gloriana
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
66
Hockey
69
Whitney Houston
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
73
Jessie James
74
Jamie T
83
Japandroids
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
69
Daniel Johnston
76
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
65
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
76
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
84
Miranda Lambert
72
Ledisi
75
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt
76
Lightning Dust
73
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
73
Lyle Lovett
66
Lovvers
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna
85
Manic Street Preachers
62
Maps
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
77
Malcolm Middleton
77
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
73
Modest Mouse
76
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
62
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie
78
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
78
Nirvana
97
Nirvana
72
Nisennenmondai
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
68
Nurses
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
73
Osso
81
Owen
76
Paramore
76
Pastels And Tenniscoats
51
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
66
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
63
Julian Plenti
66
Robert Pollard
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
80
Q-Tip
80
R.E.M.
89
Raekwon
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
75
The Raveonettes
76
Jay Reatard
82
Reigning Sound
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
79
Russian Circles
69
Buffy Sainte-Marie
73
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
75
Sian Alice Group
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
69
Slaughterhouse
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
62
Mindy Smith
83
Solillaquists Of Sound
78
Soulsavers
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
58
Squarepusher
55
Steel Panther
73
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
65
Joss Stone
75
George Strait
83
Barbra Streisand
76
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78
The Swell Season
76
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees
78
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants
67
Third Eye Blind
68
Throw Me The Statue
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
42
The Twang
71
The Twilight Sad
58
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
70
Various Artists
74
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
71
Kurt Vile
67
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
76
Rufus Wainwright
59
Weezer
80
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59
Andrew W.K.
71
Patrick Wolf
67
Wolfmother
84
The xx
70
YACHT
75
Yim Yames
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
51
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
EMAILPRINTby Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Universal acclaim
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 334 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: [self-released]
Release Date: 28 June 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
Combine a singer who sounds more than a little like David Byrne, some solid indie-rock tunes, blurbs on all the right blogs, and a glowing review from Pitchfork and it all adds up to quite a buzz for this Brooklyn band's debut disc. Now all they need is a record deal.
Also By This Artist: Some Loud Thunder
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site Order CD @ Insound
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Billboard
CYHSY is at the best point in the lifecycle of a band: un-styled, simply produced and deserving of the hype for what is -- quite possibly -- a nearly perfect album.
Read Full Review >Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
What sticks out right off is a drive that can't be taught or approximated.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
Total immersion in the passion of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah reveals the true power of music as a means of artistic expression.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
When they began their self-titled debut, they were uncertain kids from Brooklyn making a record from all the music they had ever known. They’re leaving veterans of the game with obvious talent and colossal potential.
Read Full Review >No Ripcord
I can tell that you are dubious, but I can assure you, gentle listener – these are the goods.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
An album which will force even the most hardened listeners to throw in the towel.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah gets my pick for summertime album of the year.
Read Full Review >Trouser Press
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is worthy of the attention, as it reveals a band of great ability and confidence brimming with ideas.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
CYHSY’s songs ring of The Bends-era songwriting, but loungier, more playful, more comfortable in their own skin.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
If there are complaints to lobby against this remarkable debut, they lie mostly in its sound-quality. Namely, it sounds like what it was: self-recorded and self-released.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
[An] exceptional debut. [#11, p.109]
Drawer B
By turns goofy, intellectual, and non-sequitur lyrics are indecipherable without the lyric sheet, but the strangely alluring charm of songs like "The Skin of My Country Yellow Teeth" will have you clamoring for more.
Read Full Review >Blender
A giddy funhouse of a record. [Oct 2005, p.136]
Q Magazine
An unpolished gem. [Feb 2006, p.104]
Mojo
Ounsworth's slurred vocals are a dealbreaker. [Feb 2006, p.92]
musicOMH.com
For a debut album, this is remarkable stuff and hints at even better things to come.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
So once you get behind the relatively unobstructive and emotive voice, what you have is the sound of NYC circa '77 pushed through the ramshackle indie filter.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
[Ounsworth's] weird quirks do grow on you, especially because the music backing him is so solid most of the time.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
While all of this is promising, and illustrates that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah likely has a very bright career ahead of them, they're only just getting started.
Read Full Review >Uncut
It's the vocals that will seal this deal for you--or break it. [Feb 2006, p.79]
All Music Guide
Poppy, '80s-tinged, and hooky as hell, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's debut certainly makes for pleasant listening.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
A veritable swoon of a record. [7 Jan 2006, p.28]
The Guardian
Sadly, [Ounsworth's] lyrics are a letdown.... When the tunes are this good, it certainly feels like a wasted opportunity.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
All the essential elements of greatness are here in some small form or other, but Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s time is not now.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 334 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Pat K. gave it a10:
Peter W You have no heart or soul... his voice is perfect for this music/album. This CD is AMAZING.
Luc M. gave it a5:
2 giant tunes, but the rest is really boring.
H C gave it a10:
CYHSY is an immaculate album.
Wilson A. gave it a10:
There are only 3 or 4 albums that I can honestly say don't have a single bad song. This is one of them
[Anonymous] gave it a9:
I personally don't understand a lot of the negativity on the album. Maybe I'm crazy, but I didn't mind Alex Ounsworth's voice at all. It was different, but not necessarily bad. And the songs were really good - at turns catchy and melodic, and frequently at the same time. The one-two punch of the woozy, foot-tapping chorus in "Is This Love?" and the upbeat optimism of "Heavy Metal" is one of my favorite moments on any album.
peter w gave it a3:
great music but cursed by the familiar indie music problem - an appauling singer. i dont usually mind if soemone cant sing but this guy seems to want to rub your nose in it until you tear to CD in half. if they could get a singer less influenced by, i dunno, that pretentious twat from pere ubu, they could be on a winner. as it stands id give it 8 for d music and zero for d vocals.
Mike gave it a10:
I wonder how many of these downvoters are guys with their own bands, upset that they didn't suddenly explode with popularity like CYHSH did. Anyways, the album: pretty good. The whole band is pretty involved. The vocals are guaranteed to turn off a lot of people, and the lyrics are unpredictable, but everything about them really does funnel into their name. Seriously, try clapping and stomping along to track 1. They're a fun band, and that's what makes them so great.
