Some Loud What?

I had a scary moment a couple days ago. I put on my newly acquired copy of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's "Some Loud Thunder," their highly anticipated follow up to the wildly successful self-titled 2005 debut. I posted up a track about a week ago, proclaiming everything that had leaked from the album at that point to be brilliant.

Back to the scary moment...

If you're reading this, you probably have already heard the first track from the album... The track titled "Some Loud Thunder." Well, when it came on, I thought my JBL's that have treated me so well over the years had blown out.

Then the second track, "Emily Jean Stock," came on.

What the fuck?

I was hoping that I just had a bad copy or something, but alas, the track is up on the band's myspace, and it sounds exactly the same.

Who told them that this was a good idea? It makes an otherwise awesome track nearly unlistenable. I like bands trying to be progressive, innovative, and revolutionary, but this was a serious misstep. Don't let anyone, inevitable ridiculous pitchfork review included, tell you otherwise.

Remember that post we had about good production making the Band of Horses album come alive? (Now you do...) Well, production can have the opposite effect as well.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Some Loud Thunder (Live)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Some Loud Thunder (Album Version)

The live version is directly from the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Architecture in Helsinki, and Takka Takka 2006 Tour EP (Limited to 1,500 copies). The live version shows so much promise. It's a great song; well written and catchy. I think that, with the right production, Some Loud Thunder could have been one of my favorite tracks of 07.

Oh well, the rest of the album seems to be good enough to overlook the first track (I think I said the same thing when their first album came out...)

Here's a little something extra you might enjoy:

Architecture in Helsinki- It's 5! (Live)
Takka Takka- They Built You Up Too Fast (Live)

Both from the 2006 tour EP that I mentioned earlier.

What's New?

I've come across some quality new music this week. Everyone's looking forward to albums like Neon Bible and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, but most of the time it's the releases that catch you by surprise that end up being the best.



The Ponys new album "Turn the Lights Out" is now out there waiting for you...

I'm liking it a lot after a few listens. I was a fan of their last release, Celebration Castle, but I was by no means anticipating this one. The first single from the album has been floating around the net for a month or so (Double Vision). Double Vision is ok; it's good, but nothing too special.

One of my favorite tracks from the new album: The Ponys- Harakiri

The album will be released on March 20th on Matador. Now if the Ponys would just consider a name change...



Elvis Perkins tours with bands like Clap Your Hands and My Morning Jacket, so he couldn't be bad, right? He's actually good enough that we're willing to overlook the fact that "While You Were Sleeping," from his new album, was featured on The OC.

Elvis Perkins- All Night Without Love

All Night Without Love was released as a single on January 9th, while the album is due out February 20th.



Speaking of Clap Your Hands...

You should all know that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have an album on the way called Some Loud Thunder. Their first album grew on me to the point that I would now list it among my favorites from 2005.

Some Loud Thunder is set to release January 29th, yet, strangely, it has not leaked as a whole to the internet. What has leaked thus far sounds fantastic, though...

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Yankee Go Home

Yankee Go Home was featured on this month's Uncut Magazine CD, and it is apparently going to be the 9th track on Some Loud Thunder.

That's all for now.