Image by Benjamin Funke
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in Chicago, October 4, 2006
Indie music’s boy wonders prove their place in the scene
By Angie Vo
Published: October 9th, 2006 | 4:18pm
Want to hear a story of nearly unimaginable luck? If you aren’t already, get familiar with clever, pop-infused indie rock by Brooklyn five-piece Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Their self-released, self-titled debut LP — which was released in 2005 and sounded reminiscent of a happier Arcade Fire — made them the new darlings of indie music, all without backing from a label. Much touring followed, and Chicagoans were good enough to have them for not one, but two days — October 3 and 4, 2006 — at the Vic to revel in songs from their debut album and a couple of their soon-to-be favorites from the band’s upcoming 2007 album, to be distributed by Wichita Recordings, V2 Music, and the band members themselves.
From Tuesday’s performance, the hype CYHSY has received is well deserved. Front man Alec Ounsworth’s lackadaisical voice looped its way through a set that was mostly taken from the debut that started it all, including the tinny, carny-esque album opener called “Clap Your Hands!” And, yeah, of course the audience complied, cheering on the champions of DIY music.
The Vic’s nearly filled upper and lower levels could attest to the crowd’s eagerness to see the quintet and show openers Architecture in Helsinki and Takka Takka. The poppy AIH put the energy level on the up and up, and the crowd rolled right along into the quieter, though no less rousing, sounds of CYHSY.
Overall, the performance was a fun reminder of what all the past, present, and almost certainly future hype was about.
Issue #31
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