When I first got hooked to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the only place I could get their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, was through the band's Web site. I listened to the two tracks available, "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood" and "Over and Over Again (Lost & Found)," over and over again waiting for the mail. Now the peppy indie-pop goodness is available on iTunes.
Lead singer Alec Ounsworth has been compared to David Byrne of Talking Heads and Jeff Mangum from Neutral Milk Hotel. To me he conjures the image of a ringleader conducting a crowd or circus. Singing, proclaiming, or slipping the lyrics into the melody it's hard to say. Whatever it is...it's mesmerizing.
If you're trying to decide whether to buy the album, I wouldn't start with the first track. The calliope, tambourine, and clapping take the listener one route whereas the majority of songs are in a very different dimension. Not that I would ever pass it up. As the title track, it fits in perfectly with the album's playful spirit.
Recommended Listening: Download the MP3s available from the band's Web site, "Is This Home On Ice," "Is This Love?"