Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

I've been a fan of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah since 2005 when they self-released their eponymous debut album. There's something melancholy yet resigned about their music, it feels like a jubilation about giving up. My favorite songs are "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" and "Over And Over Again." I didn't catch them when they first came out and always wondered whether they'd be one of those bands I loved in the mid-2000s but didn't get to see live. I never really kept up with the rest of their releases after that first album.

I was thrilled when Alec Ounsworth announced a series of intimate solo living room shows in Europe this year. It was just him without the rest of the band, but it was really charming. His performance suited the small, intimate atmosphere of a man alone with his acoustic guitar. His played the songs slightly differently from the album recording, whether by riffing on the melodies or playing them slightly faster or slower. It's clear he's performed these songs many times over and has honed what makes for an interesting, uqniue performance for avid fans.

He made a little small talk in between songs and sipped his beer. He seemed like he could be an extremely musically talented grad student drifter who happens to be at your house party playing a few songs.

Clap, Clap, Clap yo hands. Clap, Clap, Clap yo hands.
No, they’re not those guys. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah do, however, have a song entitled ‘Clap Your Hands’ (of course they do, they couldn’t not, could they?) but their sound couldn’t be more different from the usual R&B style shout out you’d expect. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are innovators: it would be wrong to label them indie rock because they’re so much more than that. They encompass experimentation, jubilation and melancholy all at once. Their songs sound woefully happy. Excitedly sad. Alec Ounsworth has a brilliantly distinct voice that is more than able to hold an entire crowd. Throw in his skills on the acoustic guitar and the result is mind blowing. The band performed in a relatively small venue but the modesty just added to the atmosphere, creating a wonderfully intimate feeling to the whole gig. Some of the instrumentals and tracks had been reworked slightly to suit the smaller venue, some tracks were slowed down for example, or sang acoustically, but this only added to the wonderful night.

While at first confused about the last minute venue change, any doubts about how the show would translate on a smaller stage were dispelled immediately. Alec Ounsworth's signature, off-kilter vocals were in full effect, brightening up the tiny space and serenading the small room of adoring fans. Flitting across stage among fellow Clap Your Hands Say Yeah members, the energy was palpable and the crowd could feel the sincerity of the performance.
Mixing tried and true "oldies" with material from Only Run, the delivery and crowd inclusion were spot on. Both intimate and larger than life at the same time. And the genuine interest Alec and the whole band displayed were evident throughout the show, garnering much crowd participation. Throw some puppies, rainbows and a unicorn in there and you'd have a night of music love and fairy tale magic. I didn't want it to end!

The concert took place in an intimite setting that made the concert feel even more awesome. The music was awesome and I never wanted it to end! After the show he made sure to talk to everyone and get to know who came to his show and I thought that was really cool. Overall, it was a perfect evening!