some loud thunder, you rock my world

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have a new album, Some Loud Thunder, coming out later this month. Have I mentioned that a time or two? Um, yeah, I thought so.

We were teased with a few tracks - CYHSY made Love Song No. 7 & Underwater (You And Me) available for download on their website and you can stream Satan Said Dance at their MySpace page. And, if you are a subscriber (or were lucky enough to find an MP3 somewhere), Yankee Go Home was included on Uncut Magazine's February issue CD.

Somehow the album didn't leak until yesterday, just one day before the pre-order MP3s are available. As luck would have it for me though, about a week or so ago a kind soul from the message board where I hang out sometimes sent me a link to download the whole album. Mainly because I am likely the biggest CYHSY advocate (oh, ok.... fangirl) over there.

So by the time I actually got to hear the damn thing, I was quite concerned that my hopes were up way too high and that I would be supremely let down by the new album. But oh, how it was worth the wait.

First off, for those of you who are hoping that Alec Ounsworth's vocals have "improved" somehow... well, you probably won't like this one much. I personally have no issues with his singing style, in fact I rather like his voice and think it fits well with the songs. The vocals are a large part of what makes CYHSY's sound so unique; I just can't imagine some slick-voiced singer belting out these tunes... It seems that a lot of their "punch" would be non-existent.

But enough of that. Some Loud Thunder is certainly not an accessible album. In fact, I'd say it's abundantly less accessible even than CYHSY's self-titled debut, which was poppier and catchier than SLT. In a word, I'd call it a noisy album. Or perhaps noise-y would be more appropriate. I don't mean that in a bad way at all... quite the contrary; there is so much going on that it begs for multiple listens just to get a handle on everything that is happening.

There really isn't a standout track on this album. Or more precisely, every track on this album is a standout... :)

• Some Loud Thunder - They played this one when I saw them last October. I also have a few live recordings of it - which I play the hell out of because I love the song so much. I was surprised to discover that the album version is very similar to the Flashy Python & The Body Snatchers Graceful Retreat demo (Flashy Python is Alec's side project - incidentally, I would love to see them release an album soon...). It takes some getting used to, especially the vocals; the best description I can think of is as if they're coming across a bad radio signal. A grower for sure, but an amazing song.
  
  
• Emily Jean Stock - I'd actually heard live recordings of this one - commonly listed as The Chinese New Year. This is one of the "busier" tunes, with quite a lot of instrumentation. It's catchy; very sweet lyrics too...
  
  
• Mama, Won't You Keep Them Castles In The Air And Burning? - Whew. Quite a title. I learned something though - "castles in the air" is an idiom meaning "extravagant hopes and plans that will never be carried out". I did not know that. Beautiful track, by the way... it's virtually percussion-less and has great lyrics. I love Alec's lyrics, though admittedly I usually need the cd sleeve "cheat sheet" to catch them all (I really hope CYHSY includes the lyrics with this one too). This one is perhaps the most "CYHSY" song on the album. For whatever that's worth... lol.
  
  
• Love Song No. 7 - I really didn't care for this one the first couple of times that I heard it after it was released. It's such a creepy sounding song I get a little shiver everytime it starts. I remember Pitchfork comparing it to Aerosmith's Dream On. I don't really get that... But creepy or no, this is yet another magnificent track.
  
  
• Satan Said Dance - And I know it is not how you thought it would be; no whips, no chains, just dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing... If you've heard this one live, it's not too different from the album version; they "electronica-d" it up just a bit.
  
  
• Upon Encountering The Crippled Elephant -

  Dear accordian: When did you get to be so cool? I love you.
  xo Bridget

  This is the lone instrumental track. Over headphones, this song really does conjure up the imagery of slowly walking up to and past a wounded elephant. Really.
  
  
• Goodbye To Mother And The Cove - I didn't care for this song at all on my first listen. But, as is the theme of this album, several listens convinced me that it's a gorgeous song. I love the guitar picking...
  
  
• Arm And Hammer - It's the new Clap Your Hands! This is probably the one that had the farthest to grow on me... I do like it, but I'm still working on it. Definitely an odd song without too much structure.
  
  
• Yankee Go Home - I'd heard this one before - it surfaced just before I scored the entire album. When I first heard this track I was quite disappointed with it - then I remembered that the previous released tracks also took me quite some time to warm up to. I do so love this song these days. And I love Alec Ounsworth's voice... ;)
  
  
• Underwater (You And Me) - This song is so romantic and sweet, it just makes me happy when I listen to it. And it's even not so much the yelping Alec Ounsworth...
  
  
• Five Easy Pieces - Oh man. The first time this song started... well, when the reverb-drenched vocals started anyway, here is what I thought to myself: "This piece of shit is the album closer? And it's almost seven minutes long??". I was disappointed. And pissed. Not that I have anything against reverb, of course: Band Of Horses was my personal album of the year in 2006. It just wasn't what I would have expected for an album closer; if it's possible for songs to have polar opposites, this is it for Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood. Luckily I had almost seven minutes to absorb the song, because by the time it was over I'd realized that what I needed to do was let the vocals drift to the background and focus on the beautiful, sweeping instrumentation. Between the gorgeous bass-centered melody and the echoey, ghostly vocals, Five Easy Pieces has become just about my favorite track on the album. Lovely.

So. Obviously my first spin of Some Loud Thunder was a bit disappointing and quite frustrating. But by about my sixth listen, I realized that this album is pretty much kicking my ass all over the place. Now I have to focus on not getting burned out... which is quite difficult as all I want to do when the album is over is play it again.

I don't envy CYHSY, faced with the Herculean task of following up their self-titled debut... Talk about pressure. Although I did read an article once where Alec Ounsworth stated that he doesn't "pay attention to attention". Smart man. Some Loud Thunder is an extraordinarily bold move by CYHSY and is sure to put off a lot of the fans they won with their debut. Unfortunately, internet buzz can be a double-edged sword... While said buzz was hugely responsible for the success of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, it's likely that bloggers and critics around the world are just lining up to shoot this album down. Hopefully people will give the new album several listens before writing it off, though, because it really is a masterpiece, proving that these "blog buzz band" poster boys are neither one-trick ponies nor one-hit wonders.

I believe you can still "pre-order" the album from Insound - you'll get a link to download the album in MP3 format, then receive the CD "on or about" the Jan. 30 release date. Or, according to the band's MySpace, you can stream the entire album there later today.

9

Damien Rice is a bit of an anomaly... despite his songs being featured in oodles of movies and television shows this side of 2002, he still seems to have some street credit left with the indie music snobs. After what has felt like an eternity, he is releasing his sophomore effort, 9, on November 14 (the 6th in the UK). It has been a long hard road for Damo fans since O was released, but in this reviewer's opinion, the fruits of his labor are more than worth the wait.

So, say you're Damien Rice. You release your debut album to torrential critical acclaim. How in the name of all things holy do you follow that up? Very, very carefully. Let's be honest... Damo didn't exactly do himself any favors by waiting nearly five years to release O's successor. Expectations have been building to a fevered pitch, systematically decreasing the likelihood of acclaim anywhere near that of O. Is it possible to build on what made O so astonishingly beautiful - minimalist instrumentation, tortured vocals, and lyrics that don't just tug at your heart strings, but sever the damn things right in two? The answer lurking in the 10 tracks of 9 is a resounding "yes!".

When I first heard the reports of a new Damien Rice album, my reaction was pure joy. I had to consciously restrain myself from getting my hopes up too high; that's how much I love O. In the long run it helped to NOT expect another O, but to take 9 for what it is. The album gets off to a rather unexpected start with 9 Crimes when the first voice you hear is not Damien, but Lisa Hannigan, long-time member of Damien's band. My first spin of the album left me pleasantly surprised. It's packed with trademark Damien crescendos. You know the ones... the songs that start off quite mellow but build to a fierce mass of emotion then back down again (see - or rather, hear - The Blower's Daughter or I Remember on O; Elephant, Rootless Tree or Me My Yoke And I on 9). Further spins have undeniably seen this new album digging it's emotive claws right into my skin and refusing to let go.

It's difficult not to compare the old with the new... Take Cheers Darlin' vs. Rootless Tree for example. Although very different in tempo and intensity, both are unequivocally "fuck you" songs. How about Cannonball vs. Accidental Babies? The "please take me back" songs. One more - Delicate vs. Elephant: both essentially about settling for what's comfortable. I guess these comparisons are the crux of this review - that more of the same isn't necessarily a bad thing in Damo's case. Cannonball (the original version, mind you, not the radio edit rubbish), in my oh so very humble opinion, is one of the best songs recorded in modern times. So when Accidental Babies comes along with lyrics, vocals and instrumentation just as genuine and just as moving... who can complain?

After all is said and done, O and 9 really aren't all that different. 9 does have the feel of an album more accessible than O. Gone is the glass clinking of Cheers Darlin', the Gregorian chanting of Cold Water, and the operatic singer of Eskimo. Both albums do leave me wondering if this man's poetry is rooted in fiction or if he does indeed live the most dejected life ever...

porcupine or pineapple?

Brakes have been one of my favorite bands ever since I was turned on to their astounding debut album - last year's Give Blood. The new album The Beatific Visions is due out November 6 in the UK; as of yet no release date has been set for this side of the pond. If these gents make only one thing clear with TBV, it's that there will be no Brakes sophomore slump, to be sure.

Hold Me In The River jump-starts the album with 30 seconds of crescendoing guitar riffs leading right into Eamon Hamilton's distinctive vocals. Over the next 29 minutes TBV weaves a tapestry of country-jangle punk-tinged tender-ballad 60's-infused rock n' roll. These guys can cram more into 2 minutes (the length of your average Brakes song) than most bands out there.

Personal highlights:

°Mobile Communication - A sweetly delivered tune about the pitfalls of cellular phones. Brilliant.
°Porcupine Or Pineapple - One minute and four seconds of angry politicking.
°Cease And Desist - The fate of the world is at stake when God and Satan sit down to some whiskey and poker.
°No Return - This beautiful track makes an analogy between love and visiting a record store. Could be the Brakes' longest song ever at a whopping 4:57!!!

The two criticisms I have about this album are minor:

°The thing clocks in at just under 29 minutes. I understand the "leave 'em wanting more" philosophy, but I want more, dammit!
°I love No Return, I just feel that it's a real downer to end the album. This could be a marketing ploy, however, as what I usually want to do after No Return is go right back up to Hold Me In The River and start the whole ride over again... :)

All in all, TBV is a very solid album that will undoubtedly make it to many Best Of 2006 Lists (mine included, I daresay). At present I can't necessarily proclaim that TBV is better than GB... I'd say it's more of a continuation. A bit more polished, a bit more political, just as much fun. In short, what these Brakes are doing with their music isn't being done by anyone else in the indie rock world. Safe to say if you are a fan of GB, then TBV surely won't disappoint.

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