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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.
