Ira, I'm sorry. I had to do it.
This is the most hyped indie band that does not have a label I have ever encountered. That is not saying much, since I do not really keep tabs on the indie "scene". However, internet music snobs and thus internet culture giants pitchforkmedia have thrown their full weight behind this band, which in turn has drawn some criticism...
Enough of the drama. People seem to like this album, and now I know why. I listened to it 3 times in the last two days and I cannot get enough of it. Put aside the "more-indie-than-indie" back story and the ridiculous pitchfork review and all the hype, and you're left with, musically, a solid modern alternative band. They are a strange combination of Interpol (musically) and Radiohead (vocally), except with the urgency dialed up to 11. They find melodies in strange places, mostly defined by the vocals which are unique to say the least. Read the reviews and look around for only a short while and you'll see a number of strange descriptions that I cannot hope to recreate or even understand for the vocal stylings of this band. The pace is fast but the music never seems to get louder than something by the Strokes or the Killers - this band has radio sensibilities through and through.
The album is roughly produced and recorded, which is both a good and a bad thing. With a little tighter production, they would have had a label before they got to this point, and they would probably be all over the more cutting-edge alternative radio stations. However, there is no question that the singer is actually singing and the band is actually playing instruments and no one has masked flaws with computers.
I would argue that this band is a snapshot of indie music in 2005. It is on the cusp of going mainstream. It has been made popular by the greatest of equalizer, the internet. It is rough at the edges but full of heart in the middle, and really, once enough people hear it, it will show us how the indie scene will die - by becoming mainstream.
Bands with influences steeped in indie and alternative rock will be all over mainstream radio pretty soon. Clap Your Hands are just one of the bands in the latest movement, one that is soon to be with a label and on radio stations shortly. They are too good not to be.
Score: 7.5/10
This is the most hyped indie band that does not have a label I have ever encountered. That is not saying much, since I do not really keep tabs on the indie "scene". However, internet music snobs and thus internet culture giants pitchforkmedia have thrown their full weight behind this band, which in turn has drawn some criticism...
Enough of the drama. People seem to like this album, and now I know why. I listened to it 3 times in the last two days and I cannot get enough of it. Put aside the "more-indie-than-indie" back story and the ridiculous pitchfork review and all the hype, and you're left with, musically, a solid modern alternative band. They are a strange combination of Interpol (musically) and Radiohead (vocally), except with the urgency dialed up to 11. They find melodies in strange places, mostly defined by the vocals which are unique to say the least. Read the reviews and look around for only a short while and you'll see a number of strange descriptions that I cannot hope to recreate or even understand for the vocal stylings of this band. The pace is fast but the music never seems to get louder than something by the Strokes or the Killers - this band has radio sensibilities through and through.
The album is roughly produced and recorded, which is both a good and a bad thing. With a little tighter production, they would have had a label before they got to this point, and they would probably be all over the more cutting-edge alternative radio stations. However, there is no question that the singer is actually singing and the band is actually playing instruments and no one has masked flaws with computers.
I would argue that this band is a snapshot of indie music in 2005. It is on the cusp of going mainstream. It has been made popular by the greatest of equalizer, the internet. It is rough at the edges but full of heart in the middle, and really, once enough people hear it, it will show us how the indie scene will die - by becoming mainstream.
Bands with influences steeped in indie and alternative rock will be all over mainstream radio pretty soon. Clap Your Hands are just one of the bands in the latest movement, one that is soon to be with a label and on radio stations shortly. They are too good not to be.
Score: 7.5/10