Some Loud Thunder
by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. AllMusic
    70
    There's definitely an unfinished and tentative feel here.
  2. Austin Chronicle
    67
    This time around, no celebratory hand gestures are required.
  3. BBC collective
    80
    At their best, on Yankee Go Home and Five Easy Pieces, their sound becomes less indie rock than ecstatic chanting.
  5. cokemachineglow
    70
    Some Loud Thunder is a mixed bag of spectacular material and hodge-podge studio doodles.
  6. Delusions of Adequacy
    80
    An original and exquisite album full of playful and energetic indie-rock that, while retaining some of the same qualities as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, is also a step in a new direction that suits the band fine.
  7. Dot Music
    80
    An entirely satisfying sophomore effort.
  8. Drowned In Sound
    70
    Some Loud Thunder is a partial success. When it shines, it shines brightly and showcases a skill at crafting - when they have the balls to carry their ideas through - insanely catchy left-of-centre quirk pop a la Talking Heads.
  9. Entertainment Weekly
    67
    The giddy art-school anthems of their last album are largely submerged in a cauldron of studio-induced sonic goo. [2 Feb 2007, p.123]
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  10. Los Angeles Times
    63
    Flaws aside, "Some Loud Thunder" is a highly original and weirdly accomplished work worth hearing.
  11. Lost At Sea
    85
    If there is a problem with Some Loud Thunder it is the album’s lack of consistency.
  12. No Ripcord
    70
    Despite some missteps (sadly, a few egregious ones), Some Loud Thunder is successful in displaying the group’s breadth of talent and ideas.
  13. NOW Magazine
    80
    Not every track is a winner, but fans of their brash debut will still find a lot to enjoy here.
  14. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    The band... haven't leapt off in a new direction but have capitalised on the tension between Oundsworth's spiralling, just-about-to-fall-over vocals and the driving, zealous music that stops him from metaphorically sailing away into the ether.
  15. Pitchfork
    72
    If Some Loud Thunder isn't as consistent as the debut, it's an adequate follow-up that contains a handful of fantastic songs, a handful of uneven ones, and a handful of duds.
  16. Playlouder
    80
    Building on the shaky, disjointed, but strangely beautiful foundations that they first laid twelve months ago with the release of their debut, 'Some Loud Thunder' is a gloriously shambolic second album from a band that continues to sound like no one else.
  17. Q Magazine
    70
    Though the results are less homemade-sounding than their debut, a mood of playful experimentation is evident throughout. [Feb 2007, p.99]
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  18. Spin
    70
    This set of songs recaptures much of their original nonchalant magic. [Feb 2007, p.86]
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  19. Stylus Magazine
    67
    Perhaps it’s too easy to blame Fridmann for these new distractions, but I can’t imagine Ounsworth and the band leaping ahead this way without him. Here’s to hoping that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah move backward more lithely than they progress.
  20. The A.V. Club
    67
    Clearly the band and producer Dave Fridmann have a vision for Some Loud Thunder, so it's a shame their ambition only rarely translates into music that approaches the album's compelling predecessor.
  21. The Guardian
    80
    Whatever it lacks in straightforward pop tunes, this album makes up for in rich, multilayered weirdness.

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Most Discussed Album of 2007

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 74 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 74
  3. Negative: 5 out of 74
  1. JuanPabloCH
    Mar 16, 2007
    10
    am really fascinated with this record, it is without a doubt one of my favorite records of this year because 'Some Loud Thunder' am really fascinated with this record, it is without a doubt one of my favorite records of this year because 'Some Loud Thunder' shows a face different with so surprising sounds, for sample 'Satan Said it Dance' or 'Some Lud Thunder' It is a record completely different to the first one and it shows us to a band that continues toward before with strong steps without looking back.… Full Review »
  2. gazgg
    Oct 5, 2012
    2
    A bizarre act of self sabotage. lo-fi works sometimes but Neutral Milk Hotel this ain't. The only worthwhile song here is Satan Can DanceA bizarre act of self sabotage. lo-fi works sometimes but Neutral Milk Hotel this ain't. The only worthwhile song here is Satan Can Dance which is uncoincidentally the only one not ruined by what has to be the worst example of production, recording and mastering in recent mainstream indie history.
    There are good songs there i'm sure but they are all buried behind what sounds like a 56kbps mp3 (I have the CD album, not a bad rip).
    Call it an artistic statement if you will but the fact remains that what could have been an enjoyable album is ruined by a misguided aesthetic.    … Full Review »
  3. JasonL
    May 9, 2007
    8
    Definitely grows on you. Took me a while to get into, and I don't think it is going to get the same playtime as the first. But I still Definitely grows on you. Took me a while to get into, and I don't think it is going to get the same playtime as the first. But I still can't stop listening to this one, so thumbs up.… Full Review »
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