Track Listing

1. Some Loud Thunder
2. Emily Jean Stock
3. Mama, Won't You Keep Them Castles in the Air and Burning?
4. Love Song No. 7
5. Satan Said Dance
6. Upon Encountering the Crippled Elephant
7. Goodbye to Mother and the Cove
8. Arm and Hammer
9. Yankee Go Home
10. Underwater (You and Me)
11. Five Easy Pieces

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16753 in Music
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah decided not to wait the perfunctory two years in between records to release their sophomore effort "Some Loud Thunder," but to to release it as soon as it was ready. Eager to prove there's more to the band than just a business story, "Some Loud Thunder" demonstrates just how far this band has come since the release of their debut. This is not CYHSY Part II - this is a departure record, a record that will stand the test of time and critics alike.

Amazon.com
Song titles like "Upon Encountering the Crippled Elephant" and "Satan Said Dance" might spell novelty act for some, but Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is simply a band with too many ideas. That's not a bad thing. Like the Brooklyn five-piece's self-titled debut, which became an enormous word of mouth hit with MP3 bloggers, this follow-up flies right from the start with its exuberant, oddly tuneful title track. It sets the tone for an album that is devotedly all over the place. Frontman Alec Ounsworth still has a knack for sounding a bit like vintage David Byrne, with the goofy lyrical non-sequiturs to match. On elastic, eclectic tracks like "Mama, Won't You Keep Them Castles in The Air and Burning" and "Emily Jean Shock" his yelp works wonders, while just when you least expect it he brings a startling sense of gravity to the elegant "Goodbye to Mother and the Cove." --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

A Huge Disappointment!
This album was a huge disappointment. I loved their previous album. I suppose that gave me fairly high expectations for this one. But, even independent of that, this album is not very good. So much potential was wasted, I'm afraid to say. *sigh*

By the way, what is with the first song being entirely distorted? I mean, I'm understanding of exploring creativity, but that just not enjoyable.

Satan, Satan, Satan, Satan says DANCE!
The best way I can describe Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is simply this:

The lead singer from Radiohead got kicked in the nads.

Overall, this album is fairly entertaining, although I am not sure why the hell anyone thought that having that kind of singer was a good idea.

CYHSY has a pretty nice little buildup in there songs, and Satan says Dance is a pretty addicting. Overall, this is an OK album, not worth "buying new" exactly, but as a Used and New dealio.

3.5 Stars... Uneven second album
Clap Your Hands Say Yea was THE indie-band that everyone talked about, seemingly coming out of nowhere with their 2005 self-titled album that sold a bunch, while riding the wave of the internet buzz. It's a pretty good album, but the real question was how their next release would stack up, now that CYHSY is no longer a secret or internet-novelty.

"Some Loud Thunder" (11 tracks; 47 min.) starts off with the insufferable, off-putting and almost unlistenable title track, due to its contracted/distorted production. I can imagine a lot of people would give up on this album right then and there, as I almost did. But a funny thing happens if you soldier on: the album begins to build up after that, starting with "Bailey Jean Steak". The album really takes off on the second half after the short instrumental "Upon Encountering". Starting with the mesmerizing "Goodbye to Mother and the Cove", it all starts clicking, and the rest of the way is simply fantastic, with other standouts like the slow-burner (and best track of the album) "Yankee Go Home", followed by the equally outstanding 2 closing tacks "Underwater (You and Me)" and "Five Easy Pieces".

In all, this album really grew on me, even though I admit to skipping/forwarding several of the tracks on the first half when I play this. I've had the chance to see CYHSY several times in concert, most recently at the Monolith Festival at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver last September, where they played a lot of these tracks, and frankly it sounded better live than on the CD. Meanwhile, "Some Great Thunder" offer fine, even enthralling, moments despite being uneven.