Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: “Same Mistake”
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In 2005, a oddly-named band from Brooklyn released their debut via their website. The self-titled album for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah became the biggest underground success of the past decade, selling 125,000 copies largely on word-of-mouth and blog praise. The record heralded a new era in popular music; since then, online sales have outpaced physical copies, and it’s now easier than ever for unsigned bands to have their music heard.
But that’s just the business side of the band–Clap Your Hands Say Yeah wouldn’t have sold so many albums if the music wasn’t any good. The group emerged with a fully-formed sound that draws on New Wave, dance, and indie rock, with both David Byrne and David Bowie counting themselves as fans. After the release of their second album, the band want on a brief hiatus but returned last year with the album Hysterical.
The record finds the group toning down some of their dance elements in favor of straightforward pop melodies. Lead singer Alex Ounsworth’s voice is still distinctively nasal, but it’s effective on top of the band’s more expansive arrangements. The group is still going strong, as evidenced by Clap Your Hand Say Yeah’s high-profile gig at last November’s Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Today’s song of the day comes from a live session the band recorded in KUT’s Studio 1A that festival weekend. Here’s “Same Mistake,” by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
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